By Dianne Williamson
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE (Massachusetts)
Copyright 2006 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
To the woman he allegedly raped, Jeffrey Belmore is a dangerous predator who belongs behind bars.
“He should be kept away from children,” said the woman, now 20, who was 14 when she said Mr. Belmore seduced her into a sexual relationship. “He used his power and influence to manipulate me.”
To his boss on the Charlton Fire Department, Mr. Belmore is an exemplary firefighter who has received several commendations for his work.
“If I felt uncomfortable with him, I certainly wouldn’t have hired him,” said Charlton Fire Chief Ralph W. Harris. “He’s done an outstanding job for us.”
More than four years have passed since Mr. Belmore was indicted on four counts of raping a child while he was a firefighter in Ashland. His trial last year ended with a hung jury, and he’s scheduled to be tried again. If found guilty, the 30-year-old Southbridge man could face life in prison.
Now, as his second trial approaches, his alleged victim and her family wonder how a man facing such serious charges could be allowed to continue his work as a firefighter and EMT in another community.
“I was blown away by it,” said the alleged victim’s father, referring to his discovery that the town of Charlton had hired the man who allegedly raped his daughter. “My daughter’s never been the same. He’s been charged with raping a child, and he’s in a job where he could be alone with children.”
In 1995, Mr. Belmore was an Ashland firefighter when he became friendly with the father of the alleged victim. Mr. Belmore was also a musician, and the daughter of his friend had an interest in music. Soon he began giving the girl guitar lessons. In November 2000 he began a sexual relationship with the girl, which continued until the next summer, according to court records.
The girl kept the relationship a secret until confiding in a counselor at her Christian camp in 2001, she said. Police were called the next day and the girl obtained a restraining order against Mr. Belmore. He was asked to resign from the Ashland Fire Department and he refused; soon after, he was placed on unpaid administrative leave.
Mr. Belmore moved to Charlton and was hired as a firefighter and EMT. In March 2002, he was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury. The case progressed slowly for a number of reasons, but the trial was finally held in May 2006. After four days of deliberations, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. A new trial is scheduled for September.
In an interview this week, Mr. Belmore said he’s innocent of the charges and that the girl concocted the story. He said he looks forward to his day in court and has faith in the judicial system.
“I didn’t do what she’s claiming I did,” said Mr. Belmore, who got married last year and moved to Southbridge. “This has been hanging over my head for years. We never had a sexual relationship. My wife and I are looking forward to putting this behind us.”
Mr. Belmore said he told Charlton Fire Chief Harris of the accusations against him before he was hired, and he noted that he wasn’t indicted until after he joined the department.
Yesterday, however, Chief Harris said he found out about the charges “after the fact,” through a third party. Chief Harris said he checked with the town’s lawyer and was told Mr. Belmore could continue working because the alleged offenses “didn’t happen while he was a member of this department,” and because he hasn’t been convicted of a crime.
“I was not aware of Ashland,” said Chief Harris, who is due to retire in February when he turns 65.
The alleged victim, speaking out for the first time, said she’s confident that Mr. Belmore will face justice. She noted that she told investigators that one of their sexual encounters occurred on the floor of Ashland fire headquarters, and that DNA evidence in the form of Mr. Belmore’s semen was found at the spot and introduced at trial. Mr. Belmore, who testified in his defense, told the jury that he did engage in sex at the fire station, but it was with his then-fiancee.
“That’s ridiculous,” said the alleged victim. “Investigators found the evidence in the exact spot I told them about. How would I know? There’s no motive for me to make it up, and he has every reason in the world to deny it. It makes me angry that he’s working in Charlton because I’m scared for young girls he comes in contact with.”
A spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s office noted that Mr. Belmore was released on personal recognizance, and that no conditions were imposed that prohibit him from working as a firefighter.
Still, the girl and her family are upset. Her father said his daughter’s high grades suffered after the alleged assaults, and that she eventually dropped out of school and got involved with drugs. She’s been in counseling for years and has managed to put her life back together, he said.
“I never figured something like this was possible,” he said. “It’s been incredibly hard, and heart wrenching to know that something like that happened to my daughter.”
The alleged victim said she had never been with a man before Mr. Belmore, and had never even had a boyfriend. She said she trusted Mr. Belmore and that he told her he loved her. She said she’s angry that her life was thrown into disarray for so long, while Mr. Belmore has suffered little consequence.
“I let this drag me down for a long, long time, but God has brought me to a place where I can deal with it,” she said. “He’s just been living his life, while I’ve been shattered and had to rebuild myself from the ground up. I’m praying now that justice will be served, and that no one will ever have to go through what I went through at the hands of Jeffrey Belmore.”