NEW JERSEY PREDATOR SENTENCED TO 12-14 YEARS FOR AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF HYANNIS CHILD
Cape & Islands DA Secures Conviction After Extensive Police Investigation Uncovers Damning Evidence Against Cheldon Clare
BARNSTABLE, MASSACHUSETTS — On Monday in Barnstable Superior Court – September 8, 2025 – Cheldon Clare, a 46-year-old man from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, was sentenced to 12-14 years in state prison for the aggravated rape of a 14-year-old girl, according to a media statement from the office of Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois. The conviction, the result of a coordinated investigation by the Barnstable Police Department and Bergen County law enforcement, marks a significant victory in the fight against sexual predators.
The case began on September 6, 2021, when the fourteen-year-old victim and her mother bravely reported the assault to Barnstable Police. The girl disclosed that Clare, a family member, had driven from New Jersey to her home in Hyannis on August 27, 2021, where he sexually assaulted her in his vehicle. What emerged during the investigation was a chilling pattern of predation: Clare had spent a month grooming the victim, manipulating her trust before committing the assault.
Barnstable Police Detective Andrew Johnson led the investigation, uncovering critical evidence that sealed Clare’s fate. Phone records revealed the extent of Clare’s grooming, showing a calculated effort to exploit the young girl. Investigators also confirmed that Clare’s phone was at the victim’s home on the day of the assault, corroborating her account. Perhaps most damning, forensic analysis identified Clare’s DNA on the victim’s pants.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Dana Hatchell and Victoria Piacentini, with Victim Witness Assistants Deb McCoy and Caitlin Carroll working with the young survivor throughout the process. After a six-day trial, a Barnstable Superior Court jury deliberated for just 2.5 hours before finding Clare guilty of aggravated rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older.
The court sentenced the defendant to 12 to 14 years in state prison on a rape charge, 2 ½ to 3 ½ years to run concurrent on one count of indecent assault and battery and 5 years’ probation from and after the committed sentence on the other indecent assault and battery charge. Clare will be required to register as a sex offender.
Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois praised the courage of the young victim, whose bravery in coming forward was instrumental in securing the conviction.
“My office will continue to stand with survivors and work alongside our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable,” Galibois said in a media statement, while also praising the commitment of law enforcement officers to secure evidence in the pursuit of justice.
