Charlemont man found guilty of child sexual abuse
Published: 06-12-2023 7:00 PM |
GREENFIELD — A Charlemont man was found guilty of four child sexual abuse charges last week and is due for sentencing on Wednesday.
Richard Tinkham, 59, was convicted by a Franklin County Superior Court jury of one count of aggravated rape and abuse of a child and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.
According to court documents, Tinkham was accused of inappropriately touching a girl known to him. A Superior Court grand jury indicted him for these crimes, which were reported to have taken place repeatedly between May 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2020. A 9-year-old girl disclosed the incidents to her siblings around March 2021 and spoke with authorities on June 29 of that year.
During the interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Greenfield, that child said Tinkham touched her while at the Sunpike Rest Area swimming hole in Charlemont and at her family’s home, court documents state.
Tinkham was arraigned Aug. 13, 2021. He was defended in court last week by attorney Sarah Hamilton, of the Committee for Public Counsel Services’ Public Defender Division. Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Jimenez prosecuted the case for the state.