LIBERTY — On February 3, 2026, officers from the Village of Liberty Police Department initiated an investigation into an adult male believed to be unlawfully in the company of a juvenile.  During the investigation, officers developed information indicating the juvenile may have been with the male at a local motel.

Officers identified the motel and room number and immediately responded to the location. After receiving no response upon knocking on the door and fearing for the safety of the juvenile, officers forced entry into the room.

 

Inside, officers located both the juvenile and a 26-year-old male. The male was taken into custody without incident. The juvenile was safely secured and transported to Catskill Garnett for evaluation.

 

The male was identified as Paul Gonzalez, 26, of Liberty, New York. Further investigation resulted in Gonzalez being charged with four (4) counts of Rape in the Second Degree and one (1) count of Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors in the First Degree, all Class D felonies, as well as Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor.

 

Gonzalez was arraigned in the Town of Liberty Court before the Honorable Judge Johnstone and remanded to the Sullivan County Jail in lieu of $250,000 cash bail, $750,000 bond, or a $2.25 million partially secured bond. He is scheduled to return to the Town of Liberty Court at a future date. The Village of Liberty Police Department was assisted in the investigation by the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office Cyber Investigations Unit.  

 

Criminal charges are merely allegations that a defendant has committed violations of the criminal law, and as such they are not evidence of guilt. All defendants have a presumption of innocence and are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the burden of the State of New York to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.