Sanford police are investigating a report that a 13-year-old boy was sexually assaulted on a public trail Tuesday afternoon.
The boy told his mother that he was assaulted by two men.
The alleged gross sexual assault was reported to the police department’s middle school resource officer on Wednesday, police said. Attempts to reach Sanford’s police chief and deputy chief were unsuccessful Thursday. No arrests had been made as of Thursday night.
The victim told the school resource officer that he was on a trail that runs from the city’s skate park to Spartan Drive when he encountered individuals on the path who assaulted him, police said.
A police advisory did not say if suspects have been identified or if anyone has been charged in connection with the incident. The detective investigating the case, Everett Allen, said he could not provide any information related to potential suspects. No further details about the incident were provided by police, including a description of the suspects. Gross sexual assault can include forcing someone to submit to a sexual act or engaging in a sexual act with a child.
“We are encouraging people using the trail system to be aware of their surroundings, walk in groups, and report any suspicious behavior to the police department by calling 207-324-3644, ext. 1,” the Sanford Police Department said in a message posted on its Facebook page Thursday. “The police will have an increased presence in the area.”
The boy’s mother, who asked not to be identified, said in an interview Thursday that he was on a trail he often uses to go to the Sanford-Springvale YMCA to exercise when he was assaulted by two men.
“He’d seen a few people (on the trail) that were questionable but nothing that he was worried about,” she said. “He’s usually with friends. But he was alone the other day, which he has been in the past without any problems.”
She would not provide further details about the assault and she spoke to a reporter on the condition that her name would not be published to protect her son’s identity. The Press Herald does not identify the victims of alleged sexual assaults unless they choose to be identified.
The Sanford School Department alerted parents whose children attend the middle school and the Sanford Pride Elementary School to the alleged assault in an email Thursday morning.
Superintendent of Schools Matt Nelson told parents that the school department is working closely with Sanford police to ensure that students are safe.
“The Sanford Police Department are investigating and believe there is no imminent danger,” the email said. “We are sharing this information as a safety precaution.”
TRAILS CONNECT SCHOOL AND YMCA
The Mousam Way trail system, where the alleged assault took place, is a 3.9-mile network that runs from Gowan Park on the south end to the Sanford-Springvale YMCA on the north end, winding past the Sanford Armory, the Sanford Sewerage District, crossing over Sanford High School Boulevard and passing near the middle school.
The 13-year-old boy walks or runs on the section of the Mousam Way trail between Sanford Middle School and the YMCA almost every day after school, his mother said. He likes to go on a cool down run or walk after lifting weights at the gym, she said. While he sometimes goes with friends, he was by himself when the alleged assault occurred, his mother said.
The mother said she was “devastated, in shock and angry,” when the school guidance counselor and resource officer called her Wednesday to tell her that her son had reported an assault.
Her son is doing better than expected, she said. He went to school on Thursday but came home halfway through the day after being questioned by other students about what happened and why he didn’t stop his assailants, his mother said. He plans on going back to school Friday, she said.
Attempts to reach Sanford Mayor Anne-Marie Mastraccio and Superintendent of Schools Matt Nelson were unsuccessful Thursday night, but community members expressed anger and concern on the Sanford Police Department’s Facebook page.
“I’m very upset something like this happened here … especially (to) a child,” wrote Lucas Mello, whose Facebook profile says he lives in Sanford.
“Please find these predators. I love walking that path and grew up in that neighborhood. It’s unnerving to think it’s just not safe,” Christine Cote wrote.
Staff Writers Gillian Graham and Dennis Hoey contributed to this report.
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