Man, who was sentenced for sxually assaulting a minor girl, approached a random woman in the park shortly after he got an early release from prison and repeated the same crime before the woman managed to run to a local business suffering from several stab injuries
According to authorities, a 40-year-old man, identified as Bernard, who was previously convicted of гаре, was arrested once again after he repeated the same crime shortly after he got an early release from prison when he attacked a 21-year-old woman whose identity has not been publicly revealed.
Police said Bernard has been identified as the prime suspect in the stabbing and attempted гаре in a park earlier this month and will be charged with one count each of assault in the second degree and attempted гаре in the first degree. This incident was a random attack, as per the police department’s investigation.
The victim managed to escape during the attack and sought help from a local business, reporting non-life-threatening injuries, including stab wounds to her forearm, torso, and thigh. Bernard was arrested following the release of multiple surveillance images showing him in the vicinity of the crime scene, riding a blue bicycle and wearing dark-colored clothes and a beanie. He ultimately turned himself in over the weekend, as per reports.
Court documents reveal that in 2005, Bernard pleaded guilty to second-degree гаре in a case dating back to 2003, where he was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl at gunpoint. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released early in 2023, along with 369 other inmates, due to a sentencing reform aimed at addressing prison overcrowding and understaffing. Bernard’s release, expedited by about six months under the 2021 sentencing reform, has been a point of contention, especially in light of his recent arrest. Officials praised the swift action of law enforcement in solving the case but expressed disappointment in the state system for allowing the early release of someone he deemed not rehabilitated.
