15-year-old accused of attempted sexual assault indicted, case transferred to Supreme Court

View full sizeStaten Island Advance/Michael OatesRasheed Mesidor has been indicted on charges of attempted sexual assault and will be arraigned in state Supreme Court next Wednesday.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The New Brighton teen accused of attempted sexual assault against a 38-year-old woman has been indicted and is expected to be arraigned next week in state Supreme Court.


Authorities today filed a "certificate of indictment," transferring the case of Rasheed Mesidor, 15, from criminal court, according to a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan. Mesidor, of Stanley Avenue, is being charged as an adult and will be arraigned in Supreme Court May 26.
Mesidor, a student at South Richmond High School, is accused of following the woman from the Richmond Valley Staten Island Railway platform at about 8 a.m. Friday, then approached her at the corner of Madsen Avenue and Richmond Valley Road.
The attempted sexual attack happened in a wooded area near Richmond Valley Road and Madsen Avenue. He grabbed her from behind, pulled her into a wooded area, and wrapped his hands around her neck, exhorting, "Take off your pants!" court papers allege.

He pulled at her pants and told her, "Take your pants off or I’ll (expletive) step on your neck!" but she kept struggling, court papers allege.

Mesidor continued to choke the woman, and she lost consciousness, authorities said. So he took the purse — which contained her iPod, iPhone and cash — and went to school.
Here's video of the suspect outside court:

New Brighton teen accused of attempted sexual assault.

He was arrested after cops tracked him down at the Pleasant Plains school. Mesidor was arraigned Saturday in Stapleton Criminal Court, on charges of second- and third-degree robbery, first-degree attempted sexual abuse and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, William J. Smith, the spokesman, told the Advance earlier.
Mesidor continues to be held on $25,000 bail, Smith said.
Mesidor is represented by public defender Michael Harding, who could not immediately be reached for comment.