Tyner
WHITE PLAINS – A New Rochelle man pled guilty in Westchester County
Court on Tuesday to charges of persistent sexual abuse and failure to
register as a sex offender, both as felonies.
Over an 11 day period, in four separate incidents, Guillermo Merino, 39,
inappropriately touched four women. All four incidents occurred in New
Rochelle.
The charges in this complaint stem from Merino committing the offense
of misdemeanor forcible touching.
If over the last 10 years, he has been convicted two or more times of
forcible touching in separate criminal incidents and had been sentenced
for those crimes, the subsequent charges are elevated to felonies.
In this instance, Merino was previously convicted of forcible touching
on January 17, 2014, June 15, 2007 and on March 15, 2007.
Merino is also a level two sex offender and had failed to comply with
his registration obligations after moving to New Rochelle earlier this
year from New York.
He was arrested by New Rochelle Police on June 30, 2014 and remanded to
jail in lieu of $25,000 cash or bond.
When sentenced in December, he faces up to four years in state prison.
