Man accused of rape held without bail

Eagle Tribune Man accused of rape held without bail By Douglas Moser dmoser@eagletribune.com 9/5/2012 SALEM, Mass. — A Methuen man accused of sexually abusing a girl over four years was ordered held without bail yesterday following a dangerousness hearing last week. John Lefebre, 63, of 23 Frye Road, has been in custody since his arrest July 12 on six counts each of aggravated statutory rape and posing a child for sexual photos. Carrie Kimball-Monahan, a spokeswoman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, said Judge Timothy Feeley made the decision yesterday. Lefebre’s next court date is scheduled for Oct. 18 for a pretrial hearing. Lefebre is being held in the Essex County Sheriff’s Department jail in Middleton. He was arrested and arraigned in Lawrence District Court in July, but because of the charges, his case was transferred to superior court. Police said that Lefebre had been abusing the girl, now 10, for four years. Capt. Kris McCarthy, who headed the investigation, told The Eagle-Tribune in July that police are not ruling out the possibility of additional victims, as well as additional suspects. State Police computer forensic specialists are still reviewing data on the computers and hard drives seized from Lefebre’s property to determine whether there are other victims. The girl’s parents took her to speak with a therapist in New Hampshire after she became distant and withdrawn. On July 10, the girl told the therapist about the abuse, saying Lefebre made her sit with him and watch pornography and touched her under her clothes. On July 12, police searched Lefebre’s home and a barn on his property, and seized a number of items. State Police computer forensic experts found images and videos on one of the computers showing Lefebre having sex with the victim, police have said. ■■■ Follow Douglas Moser on Twitter @EagleEyeMoser. To comment on stories and see what others