Guilty Plea In Village Sexual Assault
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Daniel Adum pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Huntington last November.
By Peter Sloggatt
psloggatt@longislandergroup.com
A Huntington man pleaded to sexually assaulting a teenage girl in a downtown parking lot last November, Suffolk District Attorney Tim Sini said.
Daniel Adum, 19, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to several felony sexual assault charges and a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child and is expected to receive a sentence of 15 years in prison at sentencing set for July 2.
The crime had rocked the Huntington community for its brazenness. Following Adum’s arrest the following day, Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said Adum, an Ecuadorian national with legal resident status, appeared to be “on the prowl” prior to the attack.
Suffolk Chief of Detectives Gerard Gigante said Adum passed the victim and a female friend, walking on Main Street.
The girls began to “pick up the pace” after they noticed the suspect had “exposed himself,” Hart said.
When they turned the corner from Main Street onto Prospect Street, Gigante said, Adum attacked them from behind. He hit his victim in the head, knocked her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. The friend ran for help, according to Gigante.
Hart said surveillance footage captured the attack, as well as the suspect leaving in a white Honda Civic with a black stripe.
The car was spotted by police the next night on New York Avenue in Huntington. The car was pulled over and Adum arrested.
“Surveillance video was critically important to solving this case, along with excellent police work,” Sini said in a release. “The defendant is now facing significant time in prison for this heinous act where he will no longer be a threat to women or to the Huntington community.”
Adum pleaded guilty before Acting Suffolk County Court Judge Karen M. Wilutis. Under the plea deal he is expected to receive a sentence of 15 years in prison at sentencing scheduled for July 2, Sini said.
