Lynn man sentenced to 6-11 years in prison for rape, kidnapping

SALEM – A state trooper’s son was sentenced Tuesday to 6-11 years in a maximum-security prison following his conviction for the February 2007 kidnap and aggravated rape of a teenage Lynn woman.Richard Felton, 22, of Lynn, was found guilty after a three-day Superior Court trial. In addition to the jail term on the rape charge, Judge David Lowy sentenced Felton to five years of probation for the other charges. The probation term begins upon his release, during which time Felton must wear a bracelet that allows authorities to monitor his movements via global positioning satellites.Felton was also ordered to stay away from the victim and to undergo sexual offender treatment, according to Steve O’Connell, spokesman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.Jurors deliberated for three hours before returning their verdict late Monday.Essex Assistant District Attorney Kate B. MacDougall had asked the judge to impose a sentence of 12-15 years, while defense counsel Julie Buszuwski sought a 3-4 year state prison term for her client.During the trial, MacDougall proved that on Feb. 7, 2007, at approximately 8 a.m., Felton bound his victim with packing tape and sexually assaulted her. As Felton attempted to kidnap the victim from her home, a neighbor intervened, allowing the woman to flee. The victim ran to a nearby market on Union Street where a clerk cut the tape from her wrists and allowed her to make an emergency 911 telephone call to report the crime.Felton, formerly of West Green Street in Lynn, raped the woman in her home. He was able to get inside the apartment because he knew the victim through a mutual acquaintance and asked that she provide him with a telephone number. Upon entering, he crept up behind the victim and began choking her.Felton threatened to kill the woman. He led her into a bedroom, taped her wrists and ankles, and raped her. He then tried to take her from the apartment by force but her screams attracted a neighbor’s attention. When the neighbor intervened and began fighting with Felton, the woman escaped.As police approached the scene, Felton flagged down a cruiser and told the officer he had just been involved in an incident.MacDougall lauded the victim for her courage and praised the Lynn Police Department for its handling of the investigation. Victim/Witness Advocate Jen Anderson assisted throughout the process. Initially held without bail, Felton was allowed to remain under house arrest until his trial and lived with an aunt on Collins Street in Lynn.