Crime & Safety
Update: Mansfield Doctor Arrested on Charge he Didn't Report Child's Sex Assault
Dr. Ronald Kelly, a medical advisor to the Mansfield and Region 19 school systems, told police he didn't report the assault because he's "lost faith" in the state's child welfare system.
Police with failing to report a sexual assault of a child under a state law that makes doctors mandated reporters of such matters.
Ronald W. Kelly, 69, a physician at and a medical advisor for local school districts, including Mansfield Public Schools and , was reportedly aware of the patient’s sexual assault, but did not report it to authorities.
Under Connecticut law, a doctor must report the allegations verbally to authorities within 12 hours and in writing 48 hours after of learning of them.
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Kelly's lawyer, Attorney Mark Hauslaib, told Mansfield-Storrs Patch Wednesday that his client is not guilty and called the arrest a "travesty of justice."
"This is like arresting Mother Teresa," Hauslaib said.
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Police began investigating Kelly after the victim’s mother filed a sexual assault complaint with the Middletown Police Department in August of 2011 on behalf of her 4-year-old daughter, according to an arrest affidavit.
Kelly was subsequently arrested by state police and processed through the Troop C Barracks. The affidavit does not state why the complaint was filed in Middletown.
The victim’s mother told police that she had taken her daughter to Mansfield Pediatrics in July of 2011 to be examined by Kelly who reported that he did not see any evidence of a sexual assault, but that he believed the victim, according to the affidavit.
Kelly reportedly told the mother that contacting authorities about the alleged sexual assault would “make this worse,” so he wasn’t going to contact them, but left the mother to make her own decision whether to do so, according to the arrest affidavit.
During the investigation, Kelly told a Middletown detective that he advised the mother of the victim not to go to police or the Department of Children and Families (DCF) “because the judicial system can only complicate things and DCF is a bunch of young, underpaid, inexperienced people that don’t know what they are doing,” according to the affidavit.
Kelly told authorities he knew he was a mandated reporter, and had reported incidents in the past, but “has lost faith,” so he stopped reporting, the affidavit states.
Police said Kelly also advised the victim’s mother against “entangling” herself in DCF investigations, because there was no physical evidence and the young girl could not testify in court.
Authorities said they told Kelly that the information he gave the victim’s mother was not accurate and offered to provide literature on the process, but Kelly told police he didn’t think it would “benefit him.”
Fred Baruzzi, superintent of Mansfield Schools, said in an e-mail Wednesday that the Mansfield School District had "suspended the services," of Kelly in light of his recent arrest.
Bruce Silva, superintendent of Region 19 Schools told Mansfield-Storrs Patch that Kelly was still employed with the Region 19 District as of Wednesday afternoon.
Silva had no comment on the investigation other than to say he was “certainly surprised” and had the “utmost respect for [Kelly] and the service he’s provided to [Region 19].”
Kelly was released on a promise to appear in court and is scheduled to appear in Rockville Superior Court on July 11.
Editor's Note: The victim's age has been amended to reflect her age at the time of the incident.
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