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Crime & Safety

Charges Dropped Against Man Accused of Having Sex with 14-Old-Girl

After 10 months in court, prosecution withdraws case against Nelson Kawakami, 58.

Sexual assault charges against a Prospect Avenue man accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl in 2006 were dropped Wednesday after a 10-month prosecution stalled in Hartford Superior Court.

Nelson M. Kawakami, 58, had pleaded not guilty to stemming from a five-year-old incident, including second-degree sexual assault and five counts of risk of injury to a child.

The charges were suspended by Judge Elpedio N. Vitale under a “missing witness” rule in state law, according to court papers.

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Kawakami, who was charged Nov. 18, had also faced five counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.

The victim came forward to West Hartford police on Sept. 17, 2010. The sexual abuse allegedly occurred in June 2006 when Kawakami, a carpenter, was working at her home. The victim first reported the abuse to Kawakami’s wife, a former neighbor and friend, according to police.

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The case cycled through by Kawakami, who allegedly confessed to police Nov. 2.

On Jan. 19, the case took a peculiar turn when a Massachusetts woman appeared at Superior Court with family members and a .

The woman, then 30, said she told authorities that she was sexually assaulted by Kawakami at age 9. She said she never filed a complaint because her family was in the country illegally at the time. She said Kawakami, from Brazil, was married to her aunt, Marlene Kawakami.

According to police, Marlene Kawakami encouraged the West Hartford victim, now 20, to go to the police.

Nelson and Marlene Kawakami were divorced in December, according to court records.

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