Honk News (Long Island, NY) – A staff member at a mental health facility in New York has been taken into custody for reportedly engaging in inappropriate contact with a teenager from Long Island who was undergoing treatment after being missing for almost a month, as indicated by court documents and various reports.
DeShaun McClean, 42, has been charged as the ninth individual linked to a troubling case involving allegations of inappropriate behavior towards a 14-year-old girl. Reports indicate that he allegedly groped the girl and observed her during sexual activities while she was at the facility, following her discovery on January 3, according to court documents.
Prosecutors in Suffolk County have reportedly alleged that the unacceptable behavior of the mental health specialist aide from Deer Park occurred between January 9 and January 28.
On Tuesday, court records revealed that McClean faced two charges related to criminal sexual contact with an individual unable to give consent, as well as endangering a child’s welfare.
He entered a not-guilty plea to the three misdemeanors and was subsequently released after posting $5,000 bail.
Footage obtained from the facility corroborated the claims against McClean, and the girl was questioned by officials on Saturday, as indicated by court documents.
Emmarae Gervasi, a teenager, disappeared from her home in Patchogue on December 9. She was located last month on a boat at a marina in Islip, discovered by her father, Frank Gervasi, who followed an anonymous tip.
Francis Buckheit, the boat’s owner, was taken into custody on the same day the girl was discovered, facing serious allegations including kidnapping, rape, and endangering a child’s welfare.