MARBLEHEAD, MASS. (WHDH) - A former Marblehead youth hockey coach accused of sexually assaulting eight boys under the age of 14 was released on bail Thursday afternoon, the DA’s office says.
Christopher Prew, 33, can no longer be held without bail under the dangerousness statute, and as a result, was released on $15,000 cash bail at a hearing in Salem Superior Court, according to the DA’s office.
Prew has been indicted for one count of Rape of a Child Aggravated by Age Difference, 14 counts of Indecent Assault & Battery on a Child Under 14 and one count of attempted Indecent Assault & Battery on Child Under 14.
The eight victims are boys between the ages of 7 and 13.
“As District Attorney, it is my duty to protect the public. That duty drastically is impeded if the law does not allow my Office to seek pre-trial detention under the dangerousness statute against individuals who rape and sexually assault children,” said DA Jonathan Blodgett. “There is no other victim more vulnerable than a child. The law must be changed so that we may protect them from predators. I am asking the Legislature, again, to enact Governor Baker’s re-file, ‘An Act to Protect the Commonwealth from Dangerous Persons,’ immediately to close this gap in the law.”
Prew’s mom has already pleaded guilty to witness intimidation charges by sending threatening Facebook messages to the mother of one of Prew’s alleged victims.
The Judge gave her a six-month suspended sentence and she was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
In addition to the cash bail, the Judge ordered that Prew reside with a family member other than his mother and stepfather in a home without firearms or children under the age of 16, and he must be fitted with a GPS.
Prew’s trial is scheduled for May 4, 2020, and there is a status hearing scheduled for Jan. 9, 2020.
(Copyright (c) 2022 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)