Local 20-Year-Old Charged in Sexual Assault Case

A Bristol man is facing charges stemming from an investigation into a sexual encounter he allegedly had with a Southington teenager in December, police said Monday.

Officers booked Jeffrey Hinds-Brackett, of 159 Union St. in Bristol, Monday morning after he learned there was a warrant for his arrest and turned himself into police. He was arraigned in Bristol Superior Court on charges of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Details of the case remain scarce as the warrant has been sealed under court order, but police said the 15-year-old was known to the 20-year-old Hinds-Brackett.

“It is alleged that in mid-December, he had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old Southington girl that was known to him,” said Sgt. Lowell DePalma. “The investigation led to detectives obtaining a warrant, but all other information remains sealed under court order.”

It is unknown whether Hinds-Brackett and the 15-year-old had been maintaining a relationship or how the encounter was provided. It is not uncommon for a sexual assault case to be sealed, especially when the case involves a minor.

Hinds-Brackett was released after posting a $50,000 court-set bond on Monday, staff with the criminal clerk’s office at Bristol Superior Court said. He is due back in court on Feb. 15.