WATERBURY, Conn. — A Seymour man is behind bars after police said he’s connected to two separate cases of sexually assaulting minors within the last 10 years.
The most recent incident, police allege, happened in Waterbury last week near Fulton Park.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s happening this close. And there’s a lot of kids in this neighborhood,” said Janeth Merchan, who grew up near the park.
Waterbury police said on Oct. 9 at around 7 p.m., officers were called to Cooke Street, near the park, for a report of a kidnapping and sexual assault involving a minor.
When officers arrived, they found a young girl and several good Samaritans from the neighborhood nearby.
“They did call police immediately to report this incident and kept the girl safe until police arrival,” said Chief Fernando Spagnolo with the Waterbury Police Department.
Police said earlier that night, the girl—who was under the age of 13—was with a group of people at the park. That’s when they said she was lured into a pickup truck by a man now identified as 45-year-old Michael Dewitt.
Police said Dewitt sexually assaulted the victim, who was later able to escape from the truck just outside the park.
“Through the course of the investigation, we learned that the New Haven Police Department also had an interest in Dewitt. There was a past sexual assault warrant,” Spagnolo said.
Investigators learned Dewitt had an outstanding warrant from New Haven involving another alleged assault of a minor dating back 10 years ago. Those allegations came to light in April, when a police report said the alleged victim came forward, who had ties to Dewitt.
Two days after the Waterbury incident, police located Dewitt in West Haven at a hotel parking lot.
“He was taken into custody and he’s currently in custody, being arraigned today on those charges from New Haven,” Spagnolo said.
Dewitt appeared in a New Haven courtroom on Tuesday, facing two counts of Sexual Assault in the 4th Degree and two counts of Risk of Injury to a Minor.
On Wednesday, Dewitt will be turned over to Waterbury, where he is expected to be arraigned on seven charges including Illegal Sexual Contact With A Minor Under 13 Years Old, Sexual Assault in the Fourth Degree, Kidnapping in the Second Degree, Unlawful Restraint in the First Degree, Employing A Minor in an Obscene Performance, Aggravated Sexual Assault of A Minor and Risk of Injury to A Minor.
Police in Waterbury set Dewitt’s bond at $1.25 million.
As officers thanked the bystanders at the park for stepping into action, they also encouraged parents to speak with their children about interacting with strangers.
“It’s really important to talk about strangers and the risks that they may pose and making sure that children understand that unless they really know a person, they should certainly not get into a vehicle or go into a house or go into any type of location with them,” Spagnolo said.
Officers are also putting the message out there, asking anyone else who may be a victim of sexual assault to contact local police.
“We would encourage anybody that may have had contact with Michael Dewitt in the past that could potentially be a victim of a crime to contact their local police department and have a talk with them,” Spagnolo said.
Police said if anyone has any further information regarding this incident or any other incident involving this suspect to please contact the WPD Detective Bureau at (203) 574-6941 or Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (203) 755-1234.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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