By Craig Giammona
Cannell Jerome, 22, of 242nd Street in Rosedale, was arrested Feb. 6 and charged with two counts of statutory rape and two counts of committing a criminal sexual act. Police said Jerome and the alleged 13-year-old victim, who lives in Lake Peekskill, originally met on the Internet in November 2005 and carried on a relationship electronically for a year.Jerome is accused of meeting the girl in person for the first time in November, police said.Police said the relationship came to light on Jan. 26 when the girl's mother found “telltale evidence” on her daughter's computer. The mother then contacted police.Jerome, who is being held in Putnam County jail, was due back in court to answer the charges Thursday. Police said he faces up to seven years in jail if convicted. According to Putnam County investigators, Jerome first encountered the 13-year-old on the Internet in November 2005 when they exchanged messages in a chat room – an exchange that spawned a yearlong relationship carried out via text messages and subsequent chat room exchanges.Police said the girl lives with her mother, a younger sibling and an elderly grandparent in Lake Peekskill, about 60 miles north of Rosedale.From November 2005 until his arrest last week, Jerome visited the girl frequently, police said, and the meetings occurred when the girl's mother was not home. In some instances, Jerome climbed out of the girl's window to avoid being seen, police said. Other times, he simply entered and left the home through the front door, police said.Putnam authorities said they believe Jerome and the 13-year-old girl had sex for the first time on Jan. 22, then again on Jan. 23. Reach reporter Craig Giammona by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
