Bellport woman pleads not guilty on new indictment in missing girl case, lawyer says she cooperated with police
A Bellport woman pleaded not guilty on Friday to sex trafficking charges in the case of a 14-year-old girl who went missing for nearly a month.
Jacquelyn Comiskey, 52, entered the plea before acting State Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis in Riverhead. She is also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and promoting prostitution.
Wilutis ordered her to continue being held in the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead with bail set at $1 million cash or $3 million bond.
The charges on Friday were part of a superseding indictment in the sprawling case in which about a dozen people have been charged with crimes including rape, kidnapping and criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Comiskey pleaded not guilty to the same charges on Feb. 13 following her arrest.
The East Patchogue girl, whom Newsday is not naming because she is a minor, was reported missing from Dec. 9 to Jan. 3, when she was found on a boat in Islip owned by a man accused of kidnapping her, court records show.
Hours before the girl was found, Comiskey allegedly took her on Jan. 2 to a house on Jervis Avenue in Copiague, where she traded her for crack cocaine to a man accused of raping her, prosecutors have said.
Comiskey’s attorney, Michael Elbert, said outside of court on Friday that she is not only innocent of the charges, but cooperated with police.
“Upon learning the victim’s identity, my client was the first person to call the police and the victim’s father, “ Elbert said. “She waited at the location for the father to get there, for the police to get there, and she’s been cooperating ever since.”
He added that Comisky “denies ever receiving any benefit or any money or any cocaine in exchange for any sexual activity committed by the alleged victim. “
A Bellport woman pleaded not guilty on Friday to sex trafficking charges in the case of a 14-year-old girl who went missing for nearly a month.
Jacquelyn Comiskey, 52, entered the plea before acting State Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis in Riverhead. She is also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and promoting prostitution.
Wilutis ordered her to continue being held in the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead with bail set at $1 million cash or $3 million bond.
The charges on Friday were part of a superseding indictment in the sprawling case in which about a dozen people have been charged with crimes including rape, kidnapping and criminal sale of a controlled substance.
The East Patchogue girl, whom Newsday is not naming because she is a minor, was reported missing from Dec. 9 to Jan. 3, when she was found on a boat in Islip owned by a man accused of kidnapping her, court records show.
Hours before the girl was found, Comiskey allegedly took her on Jan. 2 to a house on Jervis Avenue in Copiague, where she traded her for crack cocaine to a man accused of raping her, prosecutors have said.
Comiskey’s attorney, Michael Elbert, said outside of court on Friday that she is not only innocent of the charges, but cooperated with police.
“Upon learning the victim’s identity, my client was the first person to call the police and the victim’s father, “ Elbert said. “She waited at the location for the father to get there, for the police to get there, and she’s been cooperating ever since.”
He added that Comisky “denies ever receiving any benefit or any money or any cocaine in exchange for any sexual activity committed by the alleged victim. “
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