|
Like many contemporary first dates, this one began in cyberspace. Joseph A. Silva traveled from his East Providence home to Portsmouth, N.H., to meet a woman he had wooed on the popular online dating site match.com.
But he was hardly a gentleman, according to authorities.
Silva, 31, pleaded not guilty yesterday to a charge of aggravated felonious sexual assault. Prosecutors said that he drugged the woman's drink and raped her.
Silva was held yesterday in Rockingham County Jail after failing to post $25,000 cash bail. He is scheduled to appear on Dec. 8 in Portsmouth District Court for a probable cause hearing. The charge carries a minimum sentence of seven years imprisonment upon conviction.
Portsmouth police say they believe Silva may have victimized other women he met online. They released a photo of him and asked for anyone with information on his activities to come forward.
"Perhaps he used other online dating services," said Portsmouth Police Captain Janet Champlin. "We want to make sure there aren't other victims."
The alleged rape occurred in August, and the woman, whose name is being withheld by police, reported it to authorities within days. Police then spent months obtaining evidence in the case, including using legal means to obtain member information and e-mails from the dating site match.com, which has privacy policies protecting its members. Those policies resulted in the four-month lag before Silva's arrest.
"Because it was online we had to get subpoenas. It was time-consuming," Champlin said.
A match.com spokeswoman would not comment on the case, but the company issued a statement saying "ensuring the safety of our members is one of the most important things we do" and noting that the match.com website contains extensive information about safe dating.
Silva contacted the woman online several times after the alleged rape. Police yesterday would not reveal the nature of those messages but Champlin said they would play an important role in the case against Silva. Police released an arrest warrant for the Rhode Island man on Tuesday, and he turned himself in yesterday morning.
Champlin said the rape allegation is the latest in a proliferating number of Internet cases that range from child predators to fraud to sex crimes, with victims and perpetrators of all ages.
"The Internet has opened up all new possibilities for criminals," she said.
The Police Department used the Silva case to remind women about Internet dating precautions. First dates should occur in public places, said Champlin. She said women should consider taking along a friend and making sure their drinks are never unattended.
"When you're meeting people online and chatting, you don't know who they are," said Champlin. "Even if you've communicated online, its still a stranger you're going to meet."
| 
