Spring Valley man acquitted of sexual misconduct charge involving girl
Steve Lieberman
A Rockland County jury has acquitted a 38-year-old man of charges of sexual misconduct involving a 16-year-old girl.
The jurors weighed the evidence for less than 20 minutes on Monday before returning not guilty verdicts for Cenel Castelly of Spring Valley, defense attorney Kevin Conway said.
Castelly had been charged with sexual misconduct and endangering the welfare of a child. The weeklong trial was held before Judge Sherri Eisenpress at the County Courthouse in New City.
Conway said the teenager misled police and prosecutors, a fact he said he was able to bring out during the trial testimony. Both Castelly and the girl knew one another.
The charges were filed in March 2018, causing Castelly to lose his job as a school bus driver, Conway said.
The Rockland District Attorney's Office provided few details on the case because of the nature of the charges and the age of the girl. Acting District Attorney Kevin Gilleece declined comment.
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