In court, rape suspects deny being homeless

Friday, March 23, 2007

By JOHN PETRICK
STAFF WRITER



Four men charged with raping a young woman last week near a squatter camp by the Passaic River made their first appearances in state Superior Court on Thursday.

All four defendants rebutted police reports that they were homeless when asked by Judge Ernest M. Caposela in Paterson if they had addresses. Each said he lived with friends or relatives, three giving Passaic addresses and one giving a Manhattan address.


All four also told the judge, when asked of their immigration status, that they were Mexican natives living illegally in the United States for years. The judge said he questioned them about their status as part of his review of their bail, which he let stand at $500,000 with no cash option. All remain at the Passaic County Jail.

Alitha Sheppard, Passaic County assistant public defender, entered not guilty pleas to aggravated sexual assault on behalf of the four defendants: Cherro Sala, 21; Fermin Panteleon, 32; Misael Calixto, 26; and Oscar Juarez, 36. Calixto is additionally charged with obstruction and hindering after he initially gave a false name to police, authorities said.

A 21-year-old Wallington woman told police she walked from her home to Passaic Street and Columbia Avenue in Passaic the night of March 14 to meet someone she had befriended on the Internet. She told police she accompanied two strangers to the river, where she was sexually assaulted by five men.

Thus far, police have arrested the four defendants, whom they took into custody at the scene after they were identified by the woman.

The woman also said in media reports that the men plied her with drugs and alcohol before raping her. She said the men introduced themselves with fake names, then forced her to drink and smoke crack.

The woman declined to identify whom she was planning to meet, and said she could not remember the location of the rendezvous with the person she had met on MySpace.com.

Police this week said they wouldn't confirm the woman's story.

During Thursday's brief proceedings, the defendants, saying little and appearing nervous, told Caposela how long they have lived in the United States -- Sala for 10 years; Panteleon, 17 years; Calixto, seven years; and Juarez, nine years. Sala, Calixto and Juarez all gave Passaic addresses, with Sala's on Dayton Avenue, Calixto's on Gregory Avenue and Juarez's on Quincy Street. Panteleon said he lived on "Manhattan Street" in Manhattan.

The case will now go to the grand jury.

E-mail: petrick@northjersey.com



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