Convicted child rapist Wayne Chapman pleaded not guilty on Monday to new charges of lewd acts stemming from two incidents inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institute — Shirley.
Chapman, 70, has been serving time at that facility since 1977 after he was convicted of raping two boys.
He was set to be released after 30 years, but that release was postponed due to his latest arrest. Officials say that Chapman exposed himself to and masturbated in front of staff at nurses at Shirley from inside his cell on June 3 and 4.
Chapman pleaded not guilty to the new charges in Middlesex Superior Court on Monday.
Assistant District Attorney Emily Jackson requested that Chapman be held pending a dangerousness hearing, the Boston Globe reports, since the alleged actions involved a “substantial risk of physical force against another person.”
Chapman’s initial proposed release sparked outrage from Gov. Charlie Baker and others who feel that serial sex offenders should see harsher penalties, like life in prison without the option of parole.
Court filings show that Chapman previously admitted to molesting as many as 100 boys. Chapman petitioned for review this year and was deemed no longer a sexual danger by two psychologists before the lewd incidents occurred inside Shirley.
One of the Shirley employees who witnessed Chapman masturbating said that “she believed that his actions were deliberate and she felt violated and disgusted by his behavior,” according to a court filing obtained by the Globe.
Chapman is continued to be held without bail. His arraignment will continue on Wednesday, July 11, during which the prosecution will push again for a dangerousness hearing.
