Eric Bassett
Police: Newtown man lured underage Bethel girls on MySpace:
BETHEL — A Newtown man was charged today with risk of injury to a child after allegedly engaging in sexual conversations with Bethel girls he met on www.MySpace.com.
Eric Bassett, 25, of Birch Hill Road, was also charged with attempted risk of injury to a minor and attempted second degree sexual assault.
Bethel police Det. Tom Murphy said the investigation that led to Bassett’s arrest began about two weeks ago, when the parents of two female juveniles contacted police.
Police said that about four months ago the two girls — friends who were both 13 at the time— met Bassett on MySpace and began having conversations of a sexual nature.
“That evolved into instant messaging via AOL and moved on to (the girls) giving out telephone numbers,” Murphy said.
Police said Bassett met in person with the two girls on one occasion and met again with one of the girls on at least one other occasion.
All the meetings were in Bethel.
Bassett’s father, Fred Bassett, of Newtown, said his son is an active duty member of the U.S. Army and two years ago suffered a brain injury.
“He’s not the same person he was before the brain injury,” said Fred Bassett.
Fred Bassett said his son has a neurological problem, is seeing a neurologist and was diagnosed with psychological problems, including depression.
The injury was caused in an auto accident while Eric was on duty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. where he is still stationed.
In the past, said Fred Bassett, his son did security duty for the Army at the summer Olympics in Utah and after 9/11 did security duty in Connecticut at the Groton submarine base and at Oxford Airport.
Eric Bassett, who is a graduate of Newtown High School, has been in the Army for six years and is a private first class, said his father.
When Bassett was arrested at his Newtown home today, computers and related items were seized under a search and seizure warrant executed by Bethel school resource officer George Bryce.
The Bethel arrest is the latest of a series of MySpace-related arrests in Connecticut.
That’s an understatement. Is there something in the water in Connecticut?
Here is his cheery little MySpace where he lists his heroes as Charkes Manson and Aleister Crowley.
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