Prosecutors have dropped the rape charges against a man who was accused of attacking an 18-year-old woman on a ferry from Martha's Vineyard to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, this month.
The Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office filed a motion dropping the charges after talking with the victim and her family, a representative for the prosecutors told NBC10 Boston and NECN Tuesday. The paperwork was filed Thursday.
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The 20-year-old from Dorchester had been charged with two counts of rape, to which he pleaded not guilty at Falmouth District Court.
The incident took place on a Steamship Authority of Massachusetts ferry Monday, July 7, authorities have said. After the ship docked, the woman reported to Falmouth police that she'd been sexually assaulted.
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Prosecutors previously said the man was returning on the ferry from Martha's Vineyard, where he had been delivering appliances for his employer. After he and his co-worker parked their work truck, he allegedly went to the third-floor common area of the ferry, where he met the woman. She told police she went with him down to the parking area of the ferry, where he took her to the rear of his company's vehicle and forced her to have sex with him.
He then allegedly left the dock as a passenger in the commercial box truck. The victim reported the incident to the ferry and a description of the truck was broadcast over police radio. A state police trooper located and stopped the vehicle on Route 28 north in Falmouth and took the man into custody.
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The attorney representing the man said in court his client told him the encounter was consensual.
The Steamship Authority said it was cooperating with the state police in their investigation.
