NJ Man Convicted Of Raping Teenage Family Member On Cape Cod

HYANNIS, MA — A New Jersey man was convicted on charges relating to sexually assaulting a family member from Cape Cod, the Cape and Islands District Attorney announced.

Cheldon Clare, 46, of Hasbrouck Heights, will serve 12 to 14 years on sexual assault charges.

On Sept. 6, 2021, a 14-year-old girl and her mother reported to Barnstable Police that she had been sexually assaulted by a family member, identified as Clare. The victim reported to police that Clare had driven from his home in New Jersey to the victim’s home in Hyannis on Aug. 27, 2021, and sexually assaulted her in his vehicle.

Detectives obtained the defendant’s phone records, which revealed that Clare had groomed the victim for a month before the assault.

Detectives determined that the defendant’s phone was located at the victim’s home on the day the sexual assault took place. Additionally, investigators located the defendant’s DNA on the victim’s pants.

After a six-day trial and over two hours of deliberations, a Barnstable Superior Court jury found Clare guilty of aggravated rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over.

He will serve his sentence in state prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.