Public’s help sought in search for missing West Warwick girl

The public’s help is being sought in locating a 17-year-old West Warwick girl who has been missing since fall of last year.

Desarae Hickey was last seen in West Warwick on Oct. 19, 2018, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and it is believed she may still be in the area.

According to a description, Hickey is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and has blue eyes and blonde hair. At the time she was last seen, her hair was dyed a deep red.

Anyone with information regarding Hickey’s whereabouts is asked to call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678) or the West Warwick Police Department at 821-4323.

Teen sentenced on robbery charge

A Cranston resident has been sentenced to serve seven years at the Adult Correctional Institutions in connection with a 2018 home invasion on Hanover Street in Providence.

Elijah Blyden, 19, was sentenced July 31 before Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause. The sentence totals 20 years, with the remainder suspended with probation.

Blyden pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree robbery on June 19. According to the office of Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, Blyden and two co-defendants forcibly entered a Hanover Street apartment on the night of June 25, 2018.

“Once inside, Blyden and the co-defendants held the family at gunpoint, bound them with cords, threatened them with two guns and a kitchen knife, and pistol-whipped one victim,” reads a statement from Neronha’s office. “The victims were robbed of cash and jewelry and the apartment was ransacked. As they left, the defendants threatened to kill the victims if they called the police.”

Prosecutors say social media posts depicting the defendants “handling firearms and large amounts of cash” were discovered during the Providence Police Department’s investigation of the incident.

Warwick man to serve 10 years for sexual assault

A Warwick man has been sentenced to serve 10 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions in connection with the sexual assault of a minor in 2016.

Sean Curran, 20, was sentenced July 30 by Superior Court Justice Daniel A. Procaccini. Earlier this year, Curran pleaded no contest to a charge of first-degree sexual assault and two counts each of video voyeurism and production of child pornography.

Curran’s sentence on the sexual assault charge, which totals 20 years, includes 10 years suspended with probation. He was additionally ordered to register as a sex offender and undergo sex offender counseling.

Curran received a three-year suspended sentence with three years of probation on the video voyeurism charges and a five-year suspended sentence with five years of probation on the child pornography charges. All of the sentences are to be served concurrently.

According to the office of Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, on multiple occasions in 2016, Curran “performed various sexual acts upon a 16-year-old while the minor victim was asleep and without the victim's knowledge.” He is additionally said to have recorded and stored the acts on his cell phone.

Detectives Christopher Lo and Gilda Fortier of the Warwick Police Department conducted the investigation into the case, while Special Assistant Attorney General Kaitlin Tracey prosecuted the case.

Pastor arraigned in DUI case

A Coventry pastor facing drunk-driving charges in connection with a July crash involving a pedestrian has been released pending his next court appearance.

Jacek Ploch, 38, entered no plea to charges of driving under the influence and driving under the influence, serious bodily injury resulting, during his arraignment Thursday in Third Division District Court. He was released on $10,000 personal recognizance, with a screening scheduled for Sept. 23.

Ploch was arrested July 14 after Warwick Police responded to an accident involving a pedestrian on Airport Road. The pedestrian, identified by police as 38-year-old Jonathan Freeman of Warwick, was hospitalized with serious injuries. His condition was last listed as stable.

Ploch has served as pastor of two Catholic parishes in Coventry – St. Vincent de Paul since 2013, and Our Lady of Czenstochowa since 2017. He has been placed on administrative leave by the Diocese of Providence.