According to reporting by the Plymouth Independent a Plymouth grand jury has indicted a local couple on multiple charges of child rape and assault.
Daniel Forand, 37, and his wife Samantha Pelrine, a 31-year-old suspended Plymouth police officer, are accused of repeatedly assaulting a teenager in their care over a seven-year period starting when the victim was 14.
Grand Jury Indictments & Charges
Following grand jury testimony that included the now 22-year-old accuser, his girlfriend, and a friend, the grand jury returned indictments carrying potential life sentences:
- Daniel Forand: Indicted on nine counts of aggravated rape of a child, two counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and battery, and one count of assault and battery.
- Samantha Pelrine: Indicted on three counts of aggravated rape of a child and two counts of rape of a child.
The couple was originally arrested in March and released on bail. They are expected to be arraigned on these formal grand jury charges in Plymouth Superior Court.
Defense & Defense Claims
Both defendants adamantly deny the allegations. Defense attorneys claim the victim fabricated the charges out of anger after being asked to leave the home when the couple refused to let his girlfriend spend the night.
Forand and his supporters have actively defended him online, including a brief, now-deleted Medium post titled “REALForandFiles” that alleged the accuser was upset over house rules.
Custody Disputes & History of Volatile Behavior
The reporting highlights a broader pattern of erratic and hostile behavior involving Forand:
- Family Court Battles: Following the arrest, Forand’s ex-wife petitioned a probate court to suspend visits with their 11-year-old daughter. Although the request was denied, court filings and police records detail incidents where the child broke down in tears, refused to go with Forand, and required police intervention during exchanges. In one instance at a Middleborough school, an officer reported intervening after seeing Forand carrying his struggling, crying daughter.
- Confrontations & No-Contact Orders: Forand has been involved in numerous disputes with neighbors, police, and town officials. He has been ordered to stay away from several locations, including Plymouth police headquarters, government offices in Carver and Plymouth, and local businesses.
- Denied Gun Licenses: Police logs in Carver and Plymouth document dozens of volatile incidents involving Forand, including hundreds of harassing calls and messages to past partners and tenants. Citing his explosive demeanor, police repeatedly denied his requests to reinstate his firearm license, ultimately seizing nine of his firearms in 2017.
