Morningside reading mentor sentenced to life in prison for touching girl
July 18th, 2009 by TCPalm.comFORT PIERCE — A 69-year-old Port St. Lucie man who volunteered as a reading mentor at Morningside Elementary was sentenced Friday to life in prison for inappropriately touching an 8-year-old girl.
Anthony J. Tripoli was convicted in May of sexual battery on a child less than 12 by a perpetrator older than 18, which is punishable by a mandatory life sentence.
Tripoli also was found guilty of lewd or lascivious molestation and sentenced to 25 years in prison to be followed by lifetime sex offender probation by Circuit Judge Larry Schack, who allowed the two sentences to run concurrently.
The victim told authorities Tripoli, whom she knew as “Mr. Tony,” would reach into her pants during one-on-one reading sessions. On the witness stand, the girl said Tripoli “touched me in my wrong spot” and penetrated her with a finger to the point that “it hurt.”
Tripoli denied the allegation, both in a police interview and on the witness stand; and there was no physical evidence corroborating the girl’s story.
Tags: Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County
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July 18th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
What? The man loses his life, and there is no physical evidence? How can this be a mandatory sentence - people, what’s going on here? Hope he is able to overturn this verdict…
July 18th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
No physical evidence? How about victim/eye witness testimony, for crying out loud! I guess its a shame he did not leave tears, bruises and semen in the child. Huh Mr. Concerned?
July 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
If he did indeed do it, he should be put under the jail… But I sure hope she isn’t fibbing!!!
July 18th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Hey morons (and it has to be men), 8yr olds don’t lie about this kind of thing! Do you know humiliating it is for a young child to tell people what he did to her??? It’s very embarrassing. Believe me, I know first hand. And let me tell you something, pedophiles never, NEVER, rehabilitate! They will always do it again. They all need to be put on a deserted island and fend for themselves!
July 18th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
excuse me, “how” humiliating
July 18th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Not trying to defend the man, because an 8-year old can’t easiley make up a lie as Tripoli “touched me in my wrong spot” and penetrated her with a finger to the point that “it hurt.”. Kids don’t imagine things like that.
The one thing that bothers me though is the fact that the article doesn’t mention is any other kids came forth. Usually, in cases like this, there is a history of other abuses.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
WHY WERE THESE TWO LEFT ALONE? WHERE WAS THE REST OF CLASS AND TEACHER? THEY SHOULD NEVER LEAVE A VOLUNTEER ALONE WITH A CHILD. THIS IS SICKENING.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Hey Meggan,
How do you know what the kid said, or what, if anything, this guy did? Sounds like you have a problem with men, and this article provides you with an ideal soap box from which to vent.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Jesus was a man 2. He saved the world.
Kids do lie! It’s been known to happen b4.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fells_Acres_Day_Care_Center
July 18th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
The sentence is far too harsh. Lots of self-righteous people in this world think we can throw people’s lives away to rot in jail….let those without sin cast the first stone…..all the wisdom traditions taught compassion, not retribution… but the secular worldview is cruel and inhumane…this man’s crime, if true, should be punished, but the punishment must fit the crime….think about it….
July 19th, 2009 at 1:32 am
I think this sentence is a bit too harsh based on the limited article. The article does not give enough to convince me but I am sure the jury felt that he was guilty.
And by the way, I have come across some 8 year olds that act like they are teens. These are not the good old days where our kids used to be innocent. Some of them are too old for their age and dress, speak & act innapropriately.
If he did this terrible act I think a sentence of 10 - 15 years is satisfactory with probation for the rest of his life and an ankle monitor to stay far away from children. Maybe castrate…who knows. : )
I once had a similar situation when I was young in school. Of course no one believed me except my parents but eventually years later the perv teacher was arrested.
July 19th, 2009 at 6:55 am
In this day and age if you are working with children, there should be an extensive background check conducted. If that wasn’t done, then the people responsible should also be punished. I agree with Big Daddy, if he did it once, he’s done it before. So there should be some kind of history of it. However, I also agree that children of this age don’t use description like that unless taught by a parent or someone. So I would 100 percent agree that she is telling the truth.
July 19th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I don’t understand this at all. He must have had the worst lawyer in the world, did he admit this? Makes no sense that this guy goes away for life, and yet a drunk football player runs a guy down like a dog, kills him, and gets no jail at all.
July 19th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Well its a good thing this was a MAN that did this and Not a WOMAN. Beause if a female teacher did this she would have got about 3 years in prison.
If this man did indeed do it then I say let him rot in prison. More than likely he did do it BUT, lets not forget that prosecuters train the witnesses. So this little girls statement, “touched me in my wrong spot” was definately fed to her and it was thought to be the most damaging way for her to testify. The words were perfect for the prosecution.
Also. Meggan, quit touching yourself!
July 19th, 2009 at 7:40 am
There must be some hiccups in this guys legal history, because life for this has to be a result of several legalities over the years. I understand everyone who does not know him wishes to throw in under a rock, and wait for him to die, but if the judge truly did sentence this guy, with no previous record, on the statement of an 8 year old girl, then you can bet your bottom dollar that he will be free before he even sees the inside of a prison.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Kids lie quite often.Where is the evidence? How could a jury convict without some kind of doctors report?There might be more to this case,then the paper has written!
July 19th, 2009 at 8:51 am
We all hate crime.
But wouldn’t even 5 years locked away in jail be horrible for any of us?
Life is really short.
Also, who would leave an 8 year old girl alone with an adult male “volunteer at a school”? He may be a saint, sure, but just to be on the safe side, he works with two other volunteer women and they all tutor in the same room.
That protects all the volunteers from possible false kid allegations, the kid only has to watch Oprah to find inflammatory things to say.
And the volunteers are mixed, not always the same three together, so that a pedophile cannot groom the other women to help him in his crime…
July 19th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I realy hope to see him rot in prison if he touched that babie.but if shes not being truthful about the incident then a man will spend the rest of his life in prison trying to help someone.it hard to not beleave that babie how can she be so detailed about something like that? kids are forced into a world of make believe all the time by hollywood.example HARRY POTTER,not saying that the kid is not being truthful we have to be careful not to be so trusting that what they say is the truth.my advise to the rest of you never one on one with no ones kids if its not your own!
July 19th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I am amazed at all these responses to my comment and to this article. How very, very sad and disappointing that there are this many ignorant people on earth when it comes to this subject. Hope if any of you have a daughter, this doesn’t happen to her. Then let’s see what you would be saying or “doing” about this. Fred and JoeC, I guarantee you that nothing but bad things will come your way for the things you said. So when they do, just think of me! Bye Bye!
July 20th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I, a juror spent 5 days on this case. Her statements were made, on video, seen by me, on the first interview, not after discussion with anyone. There was much more testimony from many people, not mentioned in the article, including Tripoli himself that led to the verdict. Maybe people who are so quick to pass judgement should seek more facts (public record) rather than spout off at the mouth based on a short newspaper article. Go pay for his appeal, get facts or shut up. Thank you very much.