MARBLEHEAD, MA (WBZ-AM) -- A youth hockey coach is under arrest after being accused of raping a 9-year-old boy.
Christopher Prew, 31 of Marblehead, is being held without bail after he was arrested last week and was indicted on aggravated rape of a child and 4 counts of indecent assault & battery on a child under 14.
Police say the assaults allegedly happened over a period of 5 months between September of 2017 and January 2018.
Police launched an investigation after they were notified by the child's mother and arrested Prew on Thursday.
He way arraigned on Feb 9 in Lynn District Court and pleaded not guilty. He's expected to appear in court on Wednesday for a dangerous cause hearing.
Essex District Attorney's Office said that Prew provided private and group hockey coaching in the Marblehead area. He is not affiliated with the Marblehead Youth Hockey Association.
His lawyer, Sean Donahue, says Prew was, until recently, intimately involved with the child's mother and tells WBZ-TV that the coach and his family are “devastated by these alarming accusations.” Donahue said Prew is “very well-respected in his community.”
Prew's sister told WBZ-TV the allegations are "completely false."
In a statement the Essex District Attorney's Office said that Prew provided private and group hockey coaching in the Marblehead area. He is not affiliated with the Marblehead Youth Hockey Association.
WBZ NewsRadio1030's Ben Parker reports