Man, 30, held in sexual assault of elderly woman

Published 1:15 pm Thursday, July 9, 2015

BEVERLY, Mass. — A 30-year-old Massachusetts man is being held without bail, charged with tricking his way into the home of a 78-year-old woman and then sexually assaulting her late last month. 

Christopher Drew has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and indecent assault and battery on a person over 60, and is due back in Salem District Court Thursday for a hearing to determine whether he poses a danger if released. 

The woman had gone to morning Mass at a church near her home, then walked to a McDonald’s, she told police. 

As she walked back to her home, she met a “nicely dressed” man who told her his name was Chris, and the two began talking about the beach. 

She told police that she and Chris decided to walk to the beach. As they walked, she said she needed to stop at her home to use the bathroom. 

The man told her he was thirsty and asked if he could come in for a glass of water. She agreed, gave him a glass of water, and then went to use the bathroom. 

When she came out, she found that he’d gone into a bedroom. When she went in to ask him why he was there, he pulled her down onto the bed and, the woman said, began trying to reach for what she called her “sex spot” and grabbed various areas on her body. 

She then said he forced her to engage in another act, one that she said she had never heard of people doing. 

After about an hour, she told police, she came up with a ruse, telling him she had to meet her son. Eventually, they left. She then returned to her home. 

Her son told police he became alarmed when he couldn’t reach his mother, who suffers from some dementia, all day, and went to her home at around 5 p.m. During a conversation, she told him, and later his wife, what had happened.

As Beverly Police Det. Darlene Prinz was speaking to the woman, the phone rang. Prinz answered the call, and recognized the voice of Drew, with whom she had dealt previously. 

After being told that he was speaking to a police officer, Drew mumbled something and hung up. He subsequently called the police station, asking if a detective was looking for him because he was “hanging around” an older woman earlier in the day. 

Prinz subsequently obtained a warrant and arrested Drew at his apartment. He’s been in custody since then. 

Drew, who was arraigned last week, made a brief appearance on Wednesday in Salem District Court and will be back in court Thursday for a full hearing on dangerousness. 

Manganis writes for The Salem (Massachusetts) News.