Taunton Man With Prior Sex Offenses Convicted of Trying to Rape Neighbor After Luring Her to His Apartment

A Taunton man classified as a Level 3 sex offender has been convicted of attacking a neighbor he had lured to his apartment in August 2023, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.

Patrick Pesante, 49, was found guilty in Fall River Superior Court on Friday of assault with intent to rape, indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, and kidnapping. He received a sentence of 13 to 15 years in state prison, followed by five years of supervised probation.

Prosecutors said the incident took place on Aug. 22, 2023. Pesante asked his 45-year-old female neighbor to come to his home, using what the DA's office described as a ruse: he claimed he needed help booking a hotel room because his mother had died.

When the woman reached the threshold of the residence, prosecutors said, Pesante grabbed her in a bearhug, seized her arms and pulled at her shirt. She asked him to let her go, but he refused, according to the DA's office.

A struggle followed, and the woman fell to the ground. Prosecutors said she tried to escape through a screen door, but Pesante pulled her back inside and tried to remove her shorts.

The woman's screams drew her 17-year-old daughter and two other neighbors to the apartment. Pesante let the woman go after he saw one of the neighbors, the DA's office said.

Authorities said that when police arrived, Pesante came out of his residence sweating heavily and behaving strangely, and called the victim a monster. Police gave him Narcan and took him to a local hospital, where he tested positive for alcohol and cocaine.

In a statement, Bristol District Attorney Tom Quinn said Pesante was already a Level 3 sex offender when he lured the woman to his apartment and tried to rape her. "The defendant has served prior state prison sentences for similar conduct and does not belong out in society where he can attempt to harm other unsuspecting victims," Quinn said.