Rallis
SEYMOUR — Police charged a 41-year-old Seymour resident on Thursday with five counts of second-degree sexual assault against a minor.
Jesse M. Rallis was arrested at the Bridgeport Correctional Center, where he was being held on a probation violation.
Rallis was previously charged in 2015 with possession of child pornography. That arrest stemmed from an incident involving an underage teen Rallis was targeting online.
He pleaded guilty in 2016 to three felonies and is currently a registered sex offender, according to Seymour police.
In addition to being charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault, Rallis was also charged on Thursday with first-degree possession of child pornography, enticing a minor by computer, and risk of injury to a minor.
Seymour Police Chief John Bucherati said the detective division began an investigation back in February into a potential child enticement incident.
Seymour police received information from the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office in Newton, North Carolina indicating that a 13-year-old boy was having sexual communications via the Internet with a male who was identified as Rallis.
Because of his past conviction, Rallis was forbidden to possess devices that allowed Internet communication.
Based on the tip from North Carolina, Seymour detectives received multiple search warrants that were used to uncover evidence allegedly implicating Rallis in the alleged sexual assault of another victim locally.
Detectives also found multiple images of child pornography, according to Bucherati.
“Based on information from the out-of-state agency, we found out he (Rallis) had an inappropriate relationship with a minor here; we uncovered evidence related to risk of injury to a minor and we were able to find child pornography, as well,” Bucherati told the Valley Indy Friday (July 21). “We discovered as a result of investigating the inappropriate relationship down south, that there was evidence of a physical relationship with a minor here.”
Rallis is due in court in Milford on July 27.
Before his 2015 arrest, Rallis was a volunteer with Seymour Ambulance Association for about 14 years.
“I want to commend the Seymour Police detective bureau for their work in uncovering this crime and hopefully Mr. Rallis will be unable to victimize anybody else,” Bucherati told the Valley Indy Friday (July 21).
