Bellport woman pleads not guilty on new indictment in missing East Patchogue girl case, lawyer says she cooperated with police
Jacquelyn Comiskey. Credit: Suffolk County Sheriff
A Bellport woman pleaded not guilty on Friday to sex trafficking charges in the case of a 14-year-old girl who went missing for nearly a month.
Jacquelyn Comiskey, 52, entered the plea before acting state Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis in Riverhead. She is also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and promoting prostitution.
Her attorney said outside court that Comiskey is not only innocent of the charges, but says she has cooperated with police in the case and contacted them to rescue the girl.
Wilutis ordered Comiskey to continue being held in the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead with bail set at $1 million cash or $3 million bond.
The charges on Friday were part of a superseding indictment in the sprawling case in which about a dozen people have been charged with crimes including rape, kidnapping and criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Comiskey pleaded not guilty to the same charges on Feb. 13 following her arrest.
Newsday is not naming the East Patchogue girl, now 15, because she is a minor and the alleged victim of a sex crime. She was reported missing Dec. 9 and found Jan. 3 on a luxury boat in Islip owned by a man accused of kidnapping her, court records show.
Hours before the girl was found, Comiskey allegedly took her on Jan. 2 to a house on Jervis Avenue in Copiague, where she traded her for crack cocaine to a man accused of raping her, prosecutors have said.
Comiskey’s attorney, Michael Elbert, said Friday that she is not only innocent of the charges, but cooperated with police.
"Upon learning the victim’s identity, my client was the first person to call the police and the victim’s father," Elbert said. "She waited at the location for the father to get there, for the police to get there, and she’s been cooperating ever since."
He added that Comiskey "denies ever receiving any benefit or any money or any cocaine in exchange for any sexual activity committed by the alleged victim."
Francis Buckheit, the owner of the 56-foot boat docked at White Cap Marina in Islip where the girl was found, was arrested hours after her discovery. She was found under netting covering the hull of the boat, according to prosecutors.
They have alleged that he told the teenager he planned to "take her to the Carolinas," according to a transcript of court proceedings. Buckheit has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Prosecutors contend the girl was taken to other locations including houses in Bellport and Bohemia, the backseat of a car, and a detached garage in Islip where men had sex with her, sometimes in exchange for drugs.
Another suspect, Elizabeth Hunter, 34, of Islip, allegedly created sexually explicit content of the teenager, which she forwarded to several people as she offered to exchange sexual activity with the girl for crack cocaine.
Hunter, who has pleaded not guilty, allegedly spent time with the girl aboard the docked boat, prosecutors contend.
A Bellport woman pleaded not guilty on Friday to sex trafficking charges in the case of a 14-year-old girl who went missing for nearly a month.
Jacquelyn Comiskey, 52, entered the plea before acting state Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis in Riverhead. She is also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and promoting prostitution.
Her attorney said outside court that Comiskey is not only innocent of the charges, but says she has cooperated with police in the case and contacted them to rescue the girl.
Wilutis ordered Comiskey to continue being held in the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead with bail set at $1 million cash or $3 million bond.
The charges on Friday were part of a superseding indictment in the sprawling case in which about a dozen people have been charged with crimes including rape, kidnapping and criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Comiskey pleaded not guilty to the same charges on Feb. 13 following her arrest.
Newsday is not naming the East Patchogue girl, now 15, because she is a minor and the alleged victim of a sex crime. She was reported missing Dec. 9 and found Jan. 3 on a luxury boat in Islip owned by a man accused of kidnapping her, court records show.
Hours before the girl was found, Comiskey allegedly took her on Jan. 2 to a house on Jervis Avenue in Copiague, where she traded her for crack cocaine to a man accused of raping her, prosecutors have said.
Comiskey’s attorney, Michael Elbert, said Friday that she is not only innocent of the charges, but cooperated with police.
"Upon learning the victim’s identity, my client was the first person to call the police and the victim’s father," Elbert said. "She waited at the location for the father to get there, for the police to get there, and she’s been cooperating ever since."
He added that Comiskey "denies ever receiving any benefit or any money or any cocaine in exchange for any sexual activity committed by the alleged victim."
Francis Buckheit, the owner of the 56-foot boat docked at White Cap Marina in Islip where the girl was found, was arrested hours after her discovery. She was found under netting covering the hull of the boat, according to prosecutors.
They have alleged that he told the teenager he planned to "take her to the Carolinas," according to a transcript of court proceedings. Buckheit has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Prosecutors contend the girl was taken to other locations including houses in Bellport and Bohemia, the backseat of a car, and a detached garage in Islip where men had sex with her, sometimes in exchange for drugs.
Another suspect, Elizabeth Hunter, 34, of Islip, allegedly created sexually explicit content of the teenager, which she forwarded to several people as she offered to exchange sexual activity with the girl for crack cocaine.
Hunter, who has pleaded not guilty, allegedly spent time with the girl aboard the docked boat, prosecutors contend.
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Fatal fire at Medford cat sanctuary ... She's not Ms. Rachel, but don't tell the kids ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
