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February 27, 2007

Cranston clerk accused of child neglect fired

CRANSTON -- The city has fired David Prata, a data entry clerk in the Building Department, who is facing felony child-neglect charges after allegedly having intercourse in front of a 9-year-old girl to teach her about sex.

Prata was dismissed yesterday, Ernest J. Carlucci, chief of staff for Mayor Michael T. Napolitano, said today.

Prata and his girlfriend, Rebecca Arnold, 36, of 559 Park Ave., Woonsocket were accused of habitually neglecting the girl in 2004 "by providing an environment that is lewd and depraved in a manner that makes their home unfit for the child to live in," according to court records. They have pleaded not guilty.

The allegations came to light on Dec. 14, 2004, when the Child Abuse Hotline received a call from a teacher in North Adams, Mass. The teacher said the girl had recently come to live with her biological father in North Adams after spending the summer with her mother in Woonsocket.

The girl, who is now 11, told the teacher that her mother had sex with her boyfriend in front of her and that the mother did not care if the girl was watching, according to a report by Vanessa E. Ciesla, a child-protective investigator with the state Department of Children, Youth and Families.

Prata is out on bail, pending a March 19 pretrial conference before Chief Family Court Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. If convicted, he could face one to three years in prison or a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

-- Journal staff writer Benjamin N. Gedan

Posted by Steve Peoples  at 4:56 PM | Permalink

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