Matthew Reilly, a former Cranston councilman, faces new charges. The accusations of molestation trail Reilly's arrest last month on a drug charge.
www.providencejournal.com
Authorities held a 41-year-old
former Cranston city councilman without bail on Thursday after he was charged with multiple counts of child molestation.
A complaint filed by the legal guardian of a 12-year-old girl led to a month-long investigation and Thursday's arrest of Matthew Reilly in North Kingstown, said Cranston's police chief, Col. Michael J. Winquist.
Reilly was charged with possession of a controlled substance about a week into the investigation, on May 15, and he later resigned from his City Council seat.
Cranston police detectives and investigators from the attorney general's special victims unit arrested Reilly on Thursday morning with assistance from North Kingstown police, Winquist said, adding that the Cranston resident was taken into custody without incident. Winquist said he would not provide further details on the case.
What new charges does Reilly face?
Cranston police charged Reilly with first-degree child molestation, second-degree child molestation and enticing a person younger than 16, Winquist said. Reilly is accused of crimes that allegedly took place on May 3, according to court records.
Reilly made no plea on Thursday. District Court Judge Joseph P. Ippolito ordered him held without bail and also ordered him to undergo a competency hearing, according to Winquist.
Reilly previously arrested for drug possession
Reilly, of Dellwood Road, Cranston,
was arrested initially on May 15.
This was after police said they found him with drug paraphernalia and a "white, rock-like substance" containing crack cocaine and fentanyl. He was charged with possession of Schedule II narcotics.
Until his arrest, which
prompted his resignation, he had been in his first term on the City Council, representing Ward 6.
He is a lifelong resident of Cranston and a 1999 graduate of Cranston High School West, according to the city government website.
