Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III with Chief. Credit: Bristol County DA
A new assistance dog at Bristol County (Massachusetts) District Attorney's Office helped a 10-year-old girl testify against her 44-year-old abuser, ultimately leading to his conviction for aggravated rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a person under the age of 14.
Chief, a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever, recently joined the DA’s office to provide support to children during forensic interviews at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County. During these interviews, children and vulnerable adults can find it difficult to relive the trauma they experienced. For some, an assistance dog can provide a sense of comfort and safety, helping ease the anxiety of verbalizing the crime.
That was recently the case for a 10-year-old girl from New Bedford, Mass. In December 2017, New Bedford police detectives received the first report of a potential child rape involving the suspect, 44-year-old Lawrence Trahan, who had access to the child through his relationship with the victim’s mother.
As a result of this information, the district attorney’s office set up forensic interviews with the victim at the Bristol County Children’s Advocacy Center. During these interviews, the victim, told investigators Trahan touched her in “weird places” more than 20 times. She specifically said Trahan put his tongue in her vagina and his penis in her buttocks.
However, during trial preparation, the young victim was having difficulty verbally reliving the sexual assaults and traumatic experiences she went through, and it was unclear whether she would be able to testify. The DA’s office then brought in Chief, and his handler forensic interviewer Samantha Dias.
According to the DA’s office, during the victim’s time with Chief, her anxiety subsided and she began to feel more confident in her ability to testify about the sexual assaults. She was ultimately able to do so, and Trahan was subsequently sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison. He must register as a sex offender, and upon his eventual release from prison, he will be prohibited from living in a household with a minor child, having unsupervised contact with children, and working/volunteering with children.
“I am pleased the jury held the defendant accountable for sexually abusing this young child,” said Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III. “Sadly, the victim’s mother supported the defendant during the trial. I commend the victim for her courage in disclosing the abuse and perseverance during delays in the case. I would like to thank the entire investigatory and prosecution team, including our support dog, Chief, for their efforts in this case.”
Chief joined the District Attorney’s Office in March after being trained by NEADS World Class Service Dogs, a nonprofit in Princeton, Mass., and passing the Assistance Dogs International Public Access/Safety Test.
Unsurprisingly, Chief is a pro at basic obedience commands, but he’s also well-acquainted with more unique commands that are tailored to the interview process.
For example, when Dias says “bring me a tissue,” Chief will retrieve a box of tissues for the interviewee. When Dias says “visit,” chief will happily lay his head on the child’s lap, acting like a weighted blanket of sorts.
When Dias asks Chief to “tell me a secret,” the Labrador retriever brings his nose to her ear. The demonstration is meant to show abused children they can safely share a secret with both Dias and Chief. This is critical for children who have been threatened to stay quiet about the abuse, as well as for those who may have told an adult who did not believe them.
The young Labrador retriever can also turn lights on and off, as well as close the door.
"It shows kids we are in a safe environment,” Dias told NBC 10 News. “If the dog can be relaxed, we can be relaxed and just talk."
Quinn echoed the benefits of Chief’s calm temperament and friendly approach.
“The presence of this steady, well-trained dog in the justice system can humanize stressful situations, have a calming effect, help build trust and assist prosecutors in gathering more information about a case, which in turn leads to better prosecution efforts,” the DA said.
The DA’s office believes Chief will be able to help hundreds of children like the 10-year-old girl from New Bedford every year. Chief may work up to two or three interview sessions a day over time, but it will vary depending on the child. And since he is an employee of the DA, children can visit Chief any time after their initial forensic interview at the Bristol County Children’s Advocacy Center, including for therapy.
“We want them to come in and not feel confused or feel that the Children’s Advocacy Center is a place that you just go to talk about terrible things that have happened in your life,” Dias told WPRI. “It’s also a place where you want [to be with Chief].”