Cornwall-on-Hudson man pleads not guilty to Rockland child sex abuse charges amid separate allegations in Orange Co.
James Valentine, 57, is charged with course of sexual conduct against a child in the second degree, a class D violent felony that carries a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.
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A Cornwall-on-Hudson man indicted for sexually abusing a child in Rockland County pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Thursday morning – while also facing separate charges in Orange County, where he’s accused by underage boys in a related case.
James Valentine, 57, is charged with course of sexual conduct against a child in the second degree, a class D violent felony that carries a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.
Valentine appeared before a judge in Rockland County Court, where he kept his head down and said little. The judge ordered him held without bail — a decision not contested by his public defender, who said Valentine couldn’t make bail at this time anyway.
RELATED: Orange County man indicted in child sex abuse case in Rockland
According to the Rockland County District Attorney, Valentine is accused of sexually abusing a male child over a five-year period, beginning when the boy was just 8 years old. The abuse occurred at a home in Valley Cottage between 2011 and 2016, when Valentine lived there, according to investigators.
Two women, the mothers of other alleged underage victims in a related case in Cornwall, were seen outside of the courtroom and appeared visibly upset. They declined to be interviewed but thanked News 12 for covering the case and asked for privacy.
The judge also issued an order of protection for the now adult victim in the Rockland case.
This remains part of a larger investigation spanning multiple victims, several decades, and two counties.
Valentine is due back in court in July 30.
