By Mary A. Crisafulli
DELHI - Delaware County District Attorney Shawn Smith and Sheriff Craig DuMond held a press conference on Aug. 1 regarding the recent arrest of Brent Trimbell, 44, of Hobart. Trimbell, a former softball coach and Stamford Town councilmember, was arrested on June 17 on several charges of rape and aggravated sexual abuse of children.
The Delaware County Grand Jury announced a 25-count indictment on July 31. Significant charges include rape of more than one minor on multiple occasions, dating back to 2020 until the arrest. Trimbell faces several charges of criminal sexual acts, which allege that the defendant forced victims to engage in oral sex. The indictment accounts for four victims under the age of 17. Trimbel is further accused of forcible touching, sending indecent material to minors, sexually motivated felony, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Trimbell faces life in prison with a charge of Predatory Sexual Assault, a class A-II felony, explained Smith. If someone is charged with rape in the 1st degree of more than one victim, they are further charged with predatory sexual assault, he said. "The maximum sentences are severe; in fact, even the minimum sentances are," said Smith.
The Sheriff's department was made aware of the case on June 17 through the Child Protective Services in the early hours of the morning.
Due to the nature of the charges, Smith said, the arrest was made quickly within 24 hours. "When you are worried about someone who may have access to these victums you really have to move very fast," he said.
The Sheriff's Special Response Team, K-9 Units, and deputies, in collaboration with the FBI, located Trimbell in Bovina. The investigation was assisted by the FBI, Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, and US Attorney John Sarcone III.
Smith thanked the team at Safe Against Violence for their assistance in interviewing young victims. "We are very appreciative of their role in this investigation," he said. The organization is available to assist victims in finding the resources they may need, said Smith.
Trimbell was recently released from State custody and transferred into Federal custody. Trimbell faces charges from the County, State, and Federal levels, which makes providing a timeline complicated, explained Smith. "We might work together to find some kind of global disposition," he noted.
"These horrific acts are just unconscionable, they're shocking to the conscience, actually," said DuMond. "The fact that these charges resulted up to a life sentence really strikes the seriousness of these charges and the importance of holding people accountable for these types of grotesque behaviors," he added.
DuMond concluded by asking viewers and residents to make use of the anonymous tip line app called Delaware County, NY Sheriff. Individuals can further reach the Sheriff's department by calling 607-832-5555.
Trimbell will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending further proceedings. Assistant US Attorney Michael Gadarian is set to prosecute the case.
The full press conference can be viewed on the Sheriff's Office Facebook page, the District Attorney's Facebook page, or on the County's YouTube channel.
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