Staff Report

Following lengthy investigation, a 28-year-old Branford man was arrested by CT State Police (CSP) on Feb. 22 and charged with sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor, due to his alleged involvement with a 14-year-old female. He was charged with three counts of risk of Injury to a Minor and three counts of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree.

According to details issued by CSP, at aproximately 2:47 p.m on Feb. 22, state police investigators, assisted by UCONN police, located and arrested the Branford man, Zachary Amarante, at his place of employment.

Amarante was taken into custody without incident on the strength of an active arrest warrant. Content in the warrant cited four reported incidents taking place in Woodstock between August and September of last year, beginning when female victim was 13 years old. The warrant also described their conversations of a sexual nature communicated via Snapchat. The warrant also stated other Snapchat conversations were "clearly showing each other were well aware of their ages.“ The warrant further stated the male offender used an alias name, and presented his age as 22 to the victim. He is actual age at the time of the alleged incidents was 27.

According to additional information shared on the warrant, the victim told investigators she first met the man on a website, and they then transferred to communicating by Snapchat.

Amarante was held on a court-set $500,000 bond and transferred to the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center pending his arraignment at Danielson Superior Court on Feb. 23.