Cortlandt Rape Suspect Arrested by County Police
A Cortlandt man suspected of raping two minors was arrested in Montrose last week by Westchester County Police after he failed to appear in court.
Dean Picariello, 22, was taken into custody about 3:15 p.m. last Wednesday by detectives from the Warrant-Fugitive Unit after being found hiding in the basement of an acquaintance on Sunset Avenue in Montrose.
Picariello, who was known to work in the area as a DJ under the name Dino Mack, was initially arrested by county police on December 14 and charged with rape in the third degree and distribution of indecent material in the second degree, both felonies, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. At the time, he was residing in a mobile home at the Croton Point Park campgrounds.
He is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old elsewhere in the Town of Cortlandt and sending a sexually explicit text message to the girl. He was free on $5,000 bail and was scheduled to return to Cortlandt Town Court last Monday. The court issued a bench warrant for his arrest when he did not appear.
Picariello is also wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the State Police in Orange County that charged him with rape in the second degree, a felony, and other charges. The alleged victim in that case is also a minor.
He was arraigned in Cortlandt Town Court last week and remanded to Westchester County Jail in Valhalla without bail. County Police are continuing to investigate Picariello’s contacts with minors.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
