NORWICH –  A man charged with multiple sex crimes against an underage girl has waived his rights to a jury trial, choosing instead to present his case before a judge.
County Court Judge W. Howard Sullivan is considering a written request by Dean M. Sacco to have his trial held before the judge. Sacco will appear in court Monday and must personally sign the request in front of the court before it can be approved.
The case would then proceed similarly to a jury trial and at its conclusion, the judge would decide the final verdict.
“Mr. Sacco needs to be removed from our community and needs go to prison for a long time,” said District Attorney Joseph McBride at Sacco’s last appearance.
Sacco was a Norwich landlord accused in March 2007 of repeatedly extorting sexual favors from a 12-year-old girl.
In court, officials said the child lived downstairs from Sacco in an adjacent apartment. The child was allegedly forced into performing sexual favors in exchange for reductions in the cost of rent. Police also arrested the mother for not properly monitoring her daughter and charged her with endangering the welfare of a child.
The mother in the case has not yet been directly implicated in the arrangement, but was charged shortly after police began searching for Sacco. The victim was subsequently removed from the mother’s custody; both the Norwich Police Department and District Attorney’s Office said they could not comment on the details of an open case. The mother’s name has not been published at this time in order to protect the child.
Sacco fled the area following the incident to Jersey City, but was later extradited by the Norwich Police and brought back to the area to face a slew of sex charges allegedly derived from multiple instances of sexual abuse.
Sacco is scheduled to begin his trial Feb. 13 at 10:30 a.m. He faces three counts of first degree rape, three counts of first degree criminal sexual acts and first degree of course of sexual conduct against a child, all B felonies carrying a possible sentence of 25 years for each charge. In addition he is also charged with two counts of second degree rape, second degree criminal sexual act (both D felonies) and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
The DA’s Office said Sacco, 48, of 148 Randolph St., Jersey City, New Jersey, that the defendant was sentenced to prison for nine years on Aug. 28, 1992 for kidnapping and robbery charges. Those charges came from an attack made upon a charter bus in New Jersey that was traveling to Atlantic City. Sacco boarded the bus and robbed the travelers at gunpoint while it was on its way to the gambling district.
The original complaint was received by Chenango County Protective Services from a concerned person who spoke to the little girl. The Norwich Police Department launched an investigation after being notified.
Sacco is currently being held at the Chenango County Correctional Facility without bail. He will appear in court Monday to sign his waiver and then return that Wednesday to began trial. After accepting the waiver the court will have authority to hear the case and if found guilty by the judge, it will also make it more difficult for Sacco to appeal the decision.