WESTFIELD–A city man faces multiple charges after he allegedly met a girl on a dating site and fondled her during two encounters.
Luc R. Labarre, 25, was arraigned Tuesday at Westfield District Court, on one count of distributing obscene material to a child and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over. The alleged victim was 14 years old at the time the incident is said to have occurred.
Court records indicated that Labarre allegedly met the victim through the online dating site PlentyofFish, then proceeded to talk to her on Facebook. PlentyofFish has a minimum age requirement of 18 but only require a date of birth, valid email and “terms of service” agreement for registration. The “terms of service” agreement that users electronically agree to indicates that they are at least 18 years old and are not a felon or sex offender, among other points.
Court records also indicate that the defendant and the accuser allegedly met at Grandmother’s Garden, where Labarre allegedly touched the victim’s upper thigh, which caused her to tense up.
The two then allegedly had a second meeting, where Labarre is accused of grabbing the victim’s breast and buttocks, and picking her up in an “affectionate bear hug.” Court records indicated that Labarre supposedly knew that the victim was 14 by this time.
The defendant is also accused of sending a picture of his own genitalia to the victim over Facebook, which records indicated Westfield Police had evidence of.
Labarre was released on personal recognizance on pretrial conditions, but those were not immediately available.
