David F. Shanahan, the Dracut man charged with rape of a child while he was living in Haverhill, was recently indicted by an Essex County grand jury and his case was moved to Essex County Superior Court in Salem.
In his last court appearance on Friday, May 1, Judge Salim Tabit entered a plea of not guilty, set bail at $500 cash, required Shanahan to wear a GPS tracking device, live at a Dracut residence and stay away from the school and church where the child attends. He was also ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children under 18 and not to coach youth sports. Tabit also gave him a daily curfew of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
As WHAV previously reported, Shanahan allegedly inappropriately touched the child while his now-ex-wife was a work, according to a Haverhill Police Department report. His ex-wife is the child’s grandmother and legal guardian. WHAV is withholding the name of the grandmother due to the sensitive nature of the charges.
The grandmother reported the alleged rape Monday, Jan. 5, to Haverhill Police. The child was subsequently interviewed by Haverhill Police as well as by officials from the Essex County District Attorney’s office and others who are part of a multi-disciplinary team at the Essex County Child Advocacy Center in Lawrence.
Shanahan is scheduled to return to court Wednesday, June 10.