An inmate at a New York state prison was moments away from freedom when police arrested him for the rape of a 14-year-old girl — with whom he had contact while incarcerated.
Ronald L. was scheduled to be released. Burris III, 21, was released from the Ulster County Jail in Kingston on Nov. 20, but investigators instead charged him with two counts of second-degree rape and other counts of having sex with a minor multiple times before his execution. Jail, according to the Ulster County Sheriff's Office.
The accused predator was locked up on an unrelated charge when investigators discovered the illness.
Police began an investigation in September after they were alerted that Burris was having sexually explicit conversations electronically with the 14-year-old girl while in custody, according to the Sheriff's Office.
After further investigation, authorities learned that the patient had had sex with the child several times during the summer.
Burris, of Saugerties, was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
He was arraigned in Saugerties Justice Court after his arrest, the sheriff's office said.
Burris was returned to the Ulster County Jail where he is being held on $30,000 bail.
