Jury convicts Florida man of first-degree child molestation

Published on Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Florida man has been found guilty in Providence County Superior Court of sexually assaulting a female victim under the age of 14 multiple times between 2015 and 2016.

On October 15, 2024, following the conclusion of a five-day jury trial before Superior Court Justice Kristin E. Rodgers, the jury found Chad Lavallee (age 40), of Ruskin, Fla., guilty of three counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation.

The defendant is currently being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) pending the scheduling of a sentencing hearing.

“The traumatic effects of childhood sexual abuse are real, and advocating for child victims is an important step in the recovery process,” said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. “It follows that providing a safe environment for children to report abuse is of the utmost importance. This approach helps victims feel safe to tell their stories, thereby helping prosecutors convict perpetrators. I’m grateful to the Cumberland Police Department and the attorneys in my office for their hard work on this difficult case.”

During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on dates in 2015 and 2016, the defendant assaulted a female victim under the age of 14, who was known to him, at locations in Cumberland and Lincoln. Following the victim’s reporting of the abuse in 2020, the defendant relocated to Florida where he was apprehended before being extradited back to Rhode Island.

“The Cumberland Police Department works tirelessly to hold accountable those who perpetrate these terrible offenses,” said Cumberland Police Chief Matthew Benson. “We thank the victim, in all of her courage, for helping us achieve this disposition. I am grateful for the work of our detectives and officers, particularly Sergeant Adam Ledoux, as well as the Attorney General’s Office, during the investigation and prosecution of this case.”

Assistant Attorney General Meghan McDonough and Special Assistant Attorney General Meagan Thomson of the Office of the Attorney General and Sergeant Adam Ledoux of the Cumberland Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.