Bethlehem police arrested a Glenmont man after an investigating into allegations he had sexual contact with a girl under the age of 15.
Police arrested Joseph T. Brantigan, 25, of 45 Kenwood Ave. in Glenmont on Friday, July 31. He was charged with felony counts of rape in the second degree, criminal sexual act in the second degree and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.
Brantigan was located at Tupper Lake after information was developed that he had been staying at various campgrounds around New York State to “clear his head.”
Police determined that Brantigan, an employee at a farm on Kenwood Avenue, was allegedly having sexual intercourse with an underage female. Brantigan later admitted the acts to police, and that he knew the victim to be 14 years old when the sexual intercourse began.
According to police reports, the two had sexual relations within a barn on Kenwood Avenue, a camper, at Brantigan’s home across the street from the barn, and at a mutual friend’s house at 48 Kenwood Ave.
The relationship spanned over a two-year period between early 2014 and late June of 2015.
The victim told police she met Brantigan through a friend and classmate when she was 12 years old, and he was 23 years old. The victim said Brantigan began flirting with her two years later, when she was 14.
Brantigan allegedly kissed the victim at the friend’s house sometime in 2014, according to a written statement the victim gave police. The victim said she did not tell the friend for fear of ruining their friendship. Their sexual relations began in the weeks following.
The victim said Brantigan would sometimes supply alcohol to her to get her intoxicated and that he put her in a position where she had to continue the relationship. She estimates they had sexual intercourse about 20 times and oral sex about 15 times at the three locations during the two-year period.
Brantigan reportedly told police that it was always she who contacted him. He also denied giving her alcohol, but admitted that there were times when she was intoxicated during intercourse. He estimates that they had intercourse about ten times, the last time being on his 25th birthday in June.
Brantigan was arraigned in the Town of Bethlehem court and remanded to Albany county Jail in lieu of $60,000 bail. He is scheduled to reappear in Town of Bethlehem Court on Tuesday, August 4.
The investigation is continuing, and police say other victims may exist. Anyone who may have had contact with Brantigan should contact the Bethlehem Police Department at (518) 439–9973.
