NORTHAMPTON — An Easthampton man denied a charge Monday that he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl he met online.
Jonathan F. Buri, 22, pleaded not guilty in Hampshire Superior Court to one charge of rape and abuse of a child.
Buri had been arraigned in February in Northampton District Court on two counts of statutory child rape, performing an unnatural act with a child younger than 16, indecent assault and battery on a child younger than 13 and furnishing alcohol to someone younger than 21. He pleaded not guilty to those charges. All of the charges stemmed from a single incident that occurred on Feb. 13.
On that day, Easthampton Police spoke with the mother of the 13-year-old, who reported her daughter missing shortly before 11 that night, according to a police report.
About 30 minutes later, an officer in the area of Brookside Cemetery in Easthampton reported he came across a vehicle with a male and female in the back seat. The girl, police said, was in a state of undress. When the officer asked the girl what the two were doing in the car, she told him “having sex,” according to the report. The Gazette generally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.
Buri had picked up the 13-year-old at Maple Street School and drove her around to various locations in the city, according to the police report. The girl consumed half a nip of liquor, and the two also smoked marijuana, police said.
Police took the girl back to her home where they encouraged her mother to take the girl to a hospital to undergo a rape kit evaluation, which she later did, according to court records.
In an interview with police, Buri said he met the girl on the dating and meet-up application called Skout and that the girl had portrayed herself as being 18 years old. The girl also told police she had misrepresented her age to Buri, according to court records.
Buri’s next court appearance is scheduled for January. He was released on conditions that he not have contact, reside or work with anyone under the age of 16 years old other than a sibling. He must also stay away and have no contact with the alleged victim.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.