Lynn man indicted on child rape charges

SALEM – A Lynn man who allegedly raped a teenage girl three times last year was one of three men indicted Wednesday afternoon by an Essex County grand jury.Hector Grijalva, 33, of 710 Summer St., Lynn, stands charged with three counts of aggravated rape of a child involving sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old girl.The allegations arise out of incidents in Saugus on or about May 10, 2010, on or about June 9, 2010 and again on or about Aug. 10, 2010.The victim was acquainted with Grijalva.Grijalva was arrested last month following an investigation.The indictments handed up by the grand jury now move the case from Lynn District Court, where Grijalva has pleaded innocent, to Salem Superior Court where he will be re-arraigned within a few weeks.In the meantime, Grijalva remains held on $50,000 cash bail at the Middleton Jail.Assistant District Attorney James P. Gubitose is prosecuting the case for the state.Also indicted were: Johnny Tate, 22, of 10 Sheldon St., Lynn and Robert Tate, 33, of 103 Appleton St., Lowell, charged each with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute.Robert Tate was also charged with operating a motor vehicle after a license suspension for drunken driving. He has a prior narcotic conviction also.They were arrested in a gray Chevy SUV in Lynn on Aug. 4 following a stop for a motor vehicle infraction at the corner of Summer and South streets in Lynn.Police said they seized a quantity of crack cocaine inside the vehicle.Assistant District Attorney Marsha H. Slingerland is the prosecutor assigned the case.Indictments are not an indication of guilt, rather it is a legal process that allows a case to be transferred from District Court to Superior Court, allowing for a more severe punishment.