Swansea man charged with rape, battery

Photo by Omar Bradley
Anthony Flye is arraigned in Fall River District Court. Photo by Omar Bradley

By Jay Pateakos
Herald News Staff Reporter
Fri Feb 15, 2008, 09:12 PM EST

Fall River - A 38-year-old Swansea man was held on $500,000 bail late Friday on numerous counts of rape, incest and indecent assault and battery dating back nearly six years.
Anthony Flye, 18 Rowley St., who also has a known residence at 9 Brinda Lane, Nantucket, was arrested by Massachusetts State Police and Nantucket Police Thursday night outside his home on a warrant obtained by the Swansea Police Department.
Flye was charged with rape, rape of a child under 16 with force, incest, indecent assault and battery, indecent assault and battery on a disabled person over the age of 60 with injury, and indecent exposure.
According to police, an investigation began about three weeks ago after they received word from a third party regarding Flye’s alleged activities, which involved a minor and an adult.
“We can’t really investigate anything until a victim comes forward,” said Swansea’s investigating Officer Peter Robidoux, who was assisted by Swansea patrolman Joseph Martin, both of the Sex Crime Unit, and Bristol County’s Sex Crime Unit Officer Thomas Carroll.
A week later, two victims came forward with allegations against Flye. One of the victims was 13 at the time the crimes began while the other was over the age of 60.
Police said incidents took place in East Providence, R.I., Nantucket and Swansea.
After being held overnight in Nantucket, Flye was transported to Fall River District Court Friday afternoon.
During the proceeding, Judge Robert Welch said Flye did not qualify for a court-appointed lawyer and must seek out his own attorney.
Assistant District Attorney Sylvia Rudman said Flye, who operates under six to seven aliases, has a lengthy record under at least two of the names — including numerous crimes in Rhode Island, Maine and Massachusetts — that date from his juvenile years to 2006.
“He (was) known to have left the commonwealth after committing these crimes,” Rudman told the judge.
Flye was held on $500,000 cash bail with an order to stay away from both victims, directly or indirectly.
Flye’s next hearing was scheduled for Feb. 29.

http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x866628237

 

Grand jury indicts accused rapist

By Jay Pateakos
GateHouse News Service
Fri Feb 29, 2008, 07:55 PM EST

Swansea - A Bristol County Grand Jury returned a number of new indictments Thursday against alleged rapist Anthony Flye of Swansea and Nantucket.
The 38-year-old Swansea man is currently being held on $500,000 bail on numerous counts of rape, incest and indecent assault and battery dating back nearly six years.
The new indictments include charges of rape, indecent assault and battery on a disabled person, assault and battery on a disabled person, rape of a child under the age of 16, enticing a child under the age of 16 and incest.
Flye, of 18 Rowley St., who also has a known residence at 9 Brinda Lane, Nantucket, was arrested by Massachusetts State Police and Nantucket Police on Feb. 14 outside his home on a warrant obtained by the Swansea Police Department.
Swansea’s investigating officers were patrolman Peter Robidoux and patrolman Joseph Martin, both of the Sex Crime Unit, and Bristol County’s Sex Crime Unit Officer Thomas Carroll.
At Flye’s Feb. 15 arraignment, he was charged with aggravated rape, rape of a child under 16 with force, incest, indecent assault and battery, indecent assault and battery on a disabled person over the age of 60 with injury, and indecent exposure.
Police said incidents took place in East Providence, R.I., Nantucket and Swansea.
As bail conditions, Flye was ordered to stay away from both victims, directly or indirectly. But according to the Bristol County Sheriff’s Department, Flye has not posted bail and is still in jail.
District Attorney’s spokesman Gregg Miliote said due to the new indictments, the case will move to the Superior Court level but no new arraignment date has been set.
“We’re moving ahead on this,” said Miliote.

http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x1382806065

 

Rape suspect escapes from New Bedford hospital




Anthony Flye, 38, escaped from custody yesterday.

Embodying every parent’s worst nightmare, a dangerous accused child rapist is on the loose after escaping from a New Bedford hospital where he was in police custody.
Anthony Flye, 38, of Nantucket and Swansea, escaped from St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford yesterday, where he was taken after he injured himself during a court arraignment.
Flye is charged with child rape, indecent exposure and indecent assault and battery of a disabled person. He was being arraigned on those charges in New Bedford Superior Court when he when he jumped from the top of a stairwell and injured himself, according to the Bristol District Attorney’s Office.
He escaped from the hospital, where he was being treated, late yesterday afternoon.
Flye was being held in jail on $500,000 cash bail prior to the escape. He lived at 9 Brinda Lane in Nantucket during the week and at 18 Rowley St. in Swansea on the weekends.
Bristol DA spokesman Gregg Miliote said that Flye has several aliases and has connections in Wareham, Martha’s Vineyard, Rhode Island and Maine. Flye was arrested on the rape charges in February outside his Nantucket home.
Police are urging anyone who has seen Flye or has information about Flye’s whereabouts to call police.

http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1082949

 

Horse and Pony Show


Members of the Bristol County Sheriff's Department K-9 Unit show a resident a photo of Anthony Flye, an alleged rapist who escaped custody Tuesday at St. Luke's Hospital after a guard removed his cuffs so he could use a bathroom that had two doorways. Mr. Flye was at St. Luke’s because he injured himself in an escape bid at New Bedford Superior Court earlier Tuesday.

 

"Not to downplay what happened but I think sometimes people forget we are not armed."

Then you should not be escorting prisoners to hospitals or anywhere else
plain and simple

 

I am not pointing directly at the court officer but the procedure that the court took.

If the court officer had stood his ground and said it is not safe or my job
to take this scumbag to the hospital,you know that they would have found the proper people to do it in a hurry.

I would think that there were enough PO's in the court house that could
have done the job if asked.

 

Escaped child-rape suspect evades cops



Photo by Courtesy
Anthony Flye is still a fugitive from justice and is considered extremely dangerous.

Authorities are getting a half-dozen tips a day but none have panned out in in their three-day manhunt for an accused child rapist who escaped from a New Bedford hospital after a court officer uncuffed him and let him use the bathroom alone.
Anthony Flye, 38, has been on the lam since Tuesday at 4 p.m., when he slipped out of St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, where he was being treated following an attempted courthouse escape.
“The sheriff considers it an urgent situation,” said Bristol Sheriff spokesman Bernie Sullivan.
Sullivan said they get six tips a day from callers, and more than 60 law enforcement officers are working the case.
Police raced to Wareham onThursday night after receiving a tip that Flye had been spotted in a wooded area. He was last seen Wednesday at a New Bedford YMCA.
The court officer who uncuffed Flye to let him use the bathroom waited nearly an hour to notify hospital security that Flye was gone, authorities say.
The escape prompted the Trial Court to investigate why two court officers were not with Flye - as required by protocol - at the hospital. It’s unclear if Superior Court Officer David Jackson, who makes $62,000 a year, will be disciplined.
Flye, a married Nantucket carpenter, was being held on $500,000 cash for a slew of charges including rape, incest and indecent exposure stemming from alleged assaults on a teenage relative and a 60-year-old woman.

http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1083557

Sheriff's Department puts up $5,000 for Flye's capture


By Jay Pateakos
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Mar 28, 2008 @ 06:43 PM

Swansea —
Accused rapist Anthony Flye continues to elude law enforcement officials and the Sheriff’s Department has ramped up its effort to capture the fugutive by offering a $5,000 reward.
Police say because the escape has received such widespread media coverage, tips are coming in from people claiming they saw Flye in their backyard, wandering the streets near their homes and even as an employed member of a local college.
On Friday afternoon, a Beverly newspaper reported on a tipster who claimed to have spotted Flye, or someone who looked like him, at about 4 p.m. Thursday night in the Beverly Farms Square area, at the intersection of West and Hale streets. The resident called police late Thursday night after seeing a picture of Flye on the 11 p.m. news.
But by late Friday, Beverly Police Sgt. Phillip McCarthy said the sighting was a case of mistaken identity.
New Bedford Public Information Officer Lt. Jeffrey Silva said while there were some sightings of Flye the first day or so, reports are becoming scarcer by the hour.
“We have had some tips, but they have been as a result of interviews and information from witness canvassing or informants rather than bona fide tips,” said Silva. “Although there seems to be credibility to some of them, there haven’t been significant developments, so far.”
“By now, he is in a state where he has found someone friendly to hunker down with. Our best chance of catching him is either right at the beginning when he escaped or after he settles down and gets comfortable,” said Silva. “We believe he hasn’t settled yet.”
Swansea police have also received a number of leads on Flye’s whereabouts. Swansea Deputy Police Chief Robert Furtado said when a case gets as much coverage as the Flye case, the tips are many, but the results that come from them are few.
“Especially when a dangerous person like this is out there, there are many false sightings,” said Furtado. “People mean well, but it ends up holding up the operation.”
So far the only sighting that police have reported as confirmed was in the area of the YMCA in New Bedford on Wednesday morning. Phone records showed Flye made a call from a payphone on nearby Purchase Street and a video surveillance camera at the YMCA recorded his image on another phone.
In addition to his other charges, Flye could face a maximum of 10 years in jail for the escape.
The Sheriff’s Department's $5,000 reward will be offered to anyone providing information that results in the capture and arrest of Anthony Flye. Those with information are urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 508-995-6400 or Major Nelson DeGouveia at 508-400-0526.

http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x79616837

 

Agents round up fugitive’s girlfriend

Hunt for alleged perv enters 2nd week


The Brazilian girlfriend of accused fugitive rapist Anthony Flye was arrested and detained by immigration officials yesterday as authorities continue to search for the dangerous escapee.
Flye’s girlfriend, Gilda Rodrigues Silva, was collared yesterday on Nantucket, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She was nabbed on a deportation warrant.
There’s no evidence the 38-year-old illegal immigrant aided in Flye’s escape March 25, said Bristol County Sheriff Maj. Nelson DeGouveia.
Flye, a married 38-year-old charged with rape and incest, escaped from a New Bedford hospital, where he was being treated for injuries he suffered during a previous courthouse escape attempt. He was last spotted Wednesday at a YMCA in New Bedford.
Flye slipped away after a court officer uncuffed him so he could use the bathroom and call his girlfriend. He was gone for nearly an hour before authorities were notified of the break-out.
Police are running down dozens of tips in Massachusetts and Maine, where Flye has family, DeGouveia said.
“We’re folowing up some pretty significant leads,” he said.
Flye, a carpenter, and his wife, Dawn Flye, own a $1.1 million home in Nantucket and a place in Swansea. The sheriff’s office is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Flye’s arrest. Call 508-995-6400 with tips.

http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1084191


Search for accused child rapist goes nationwide

By Jay Pateakos
The Herald News
Posted Mar 31, 2008 @ 03:54 PM
Last update Mar 31, 2008 @ 09:28 PM

Fall River —
The hunt for accused rapist Anthony Flye is going national as a small segment is set to be aired this Saturday night on Fox's America's Most Wanted.
AMW Northeast correspondent Jon Leiberman confirmed that the show is in the "early stages" of taking the case on but is still gathering the details as they get them.
"We want to get his face out to the national audience in hope of bringing him to justice," said Leiberman. "This is a man accused of heinous crimes and even after that, he thumbs his nose up at the authorities in his escape."
Flye, 38, of Swansea and Nantucket, escaped from New Bedford's St. Luke's Hospital Emergency Room bathroom Tuesday after injuring himself when he jumped off the second floor balcony at the New Bedford Superior Court House. He has been missing since 4:10 p.m. Tuesday. Flye had been charged with rape, indecent assault and battery on a disabled person, assault and battery on a disabled person, rape of a child under the age of 16, enticing a child under the age of 16, incest, aggravated rape, and indecent assault and battery.
Leiberman said the show plans to air at least an eight-second segment this Saturday at 9 p.m., which will show Flye's photo and case history.
He said Flye's picture and information has already been placed on the AMW.com Web site, a site that Leiberman gets roughly 12 million hits each week and has already received one solid tip that has been passed along to the sheriff's department.
"Our first step was to get it on the Web site, and the second would be to get the short segment on the air," said Leiberman. "Eight seconds may not appear to be that long, but you'd be surprised at how many people we've caught after putting their face up there for just a few seconds."
Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said his investigators and dogs were out in Wareham Monday following on a lead that Flye was somewhere in Plymouth County. Hodgson said a number of promising leads have come forth over the last few days, but he said he was unsure where they would lead until more information was gathered. The Sheriff’s Department’s tip line has received on average about six phone calls per day, and Hodgson said that though many of the leads have yet to pan out, it is “building confidence” in the community.
Asked if any leads are showing Flye still in the southcoast area, Hodgson said they were unsure of any exact location yet. He did confirm that they had received one fax from America’s Most Wanted so far, which relayed a tip that they had received on its 1-800-CRIME-TV hot line sometime on Monday, but Hodgson would not elaborate on that tip.
Swansea Police Chief George Arruda said he appreciated the case getting on a national stage as long as the end result is Flye’s capture.
“Any assistance we can get in capturing this defendant will make this department happy,” Arruda said.
Although Flye, who was last seen while making a call on a video surveillance camera at the New Bedford YMCA, has affiliations in Maine, Rhode Island, Nantucket and other parts of Massachusetts, The AMW Web site link on Flye listed Maryland as a possible location, something that was news to New Bedford Police Lt. Jeffrey Silva.
“I guess with the time and the price of a bus ticket, you could just about put every state on that list,” said Silva.
Contacted later in the afternoon, Lieberman said the Maryland reference in Flye’s information was “a mistake by our web team”.
Silva said the New Bedford Police had nothing to do with any of the information being furnished to America’s Most Wanted, but warned people that the bald picture that has been circulating around about Flye may not be as accurate as authorities would like.
“They’re using a shaved head photo, but we’ve been told he has a lot more hair than that now,” said Silva.
People who may have seen Flye or have information on his whereabouts should call the New Bedford Police Tip Line at 508-961-4584 or the Sheriff’s Office at 508-995-6400. The Sheriff’s Department is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture and arrest of Flye.





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