Artay Drinks
DERBY — A Waterbury man will spend 13 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to raping a senior citizen on the Derby Greenway in 2019, The Connecticut Post reported.
Artay Drinks is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 2, 2022, according to the Post. The guilty plea is part of a plea agreement, the newspaper reported.
The 75-year-old victim was walking on the Derby Greenway in November 2019 when Drinks allegedly knocked her down while her back was turned.
The attack happened at 1:30 p.m. while other people were in the area, police said. The Derby Greenway is a popular walking trail that stretches along the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers.
After the crime, Derby police Lt. Justin Stanko told The Valley Indy police recovered evidence in Drinks’ possession that ties him directly to the victim. Stanko also said that Drinks made an incriminating statement to police.
In June 2020, the victim sued the City of Derby, saying the city did not have enough safeguards in place to protect people who use the Derby Greenway.
“The City of Derby knew or should have known of the City’s high rate of crime and the locations within the City that were more prone to such activity,” according to the lawsuit, filed on behalf of the victim by lawyer Andrew J. Pianka of Seymour.
The lawsuit was dismissed in August 2021 but an appeal has been filed, according to court documents.
