Could Face up to 22 Years to Life in Prison
A 43-year-old man could face up to 22 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two elderly women.
During the early morning hours on October 10, 2023, Derrick Clancy broke into a Mastic Beach home where his first victim, a woman over 70 years old, was inside alone. To get inside the home, Clancy cut a hole in a window screen and climbed through the window. Clancy then physically and sexually abused the victim while repeatedly claiming he had a knife. Following the abuse, the victim pressed her medical alert system button for help, and Clancy fled the home. The victim was treated at a local hospital for her injuries.
The second attack occurred during the early morning hours of October 17, 2023, when a woman over 70 years old heard a noise coming from a closet inside her home. When the victim looked in the closet, she saw Clancy coming into her home through a window in the closet. Clancy then physically and sexually abused the victim. He fled the victim’s home, and she immediately called 911. The victim was then treated at a local hospital for her injuries.
Following an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department, United States Marshals Service’s New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force including District Attorney Investigators, and investigators with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Clancy was arrested on October 21, 2023, and detectives recovered the mask and knife that Clancy had used during the first burglary.
On April 30, 2024, Clancy pleaded guilty to the following charges contained in the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Judge Karen M. Wilutis:
- two counts of first-degree burglary, both Class B violent felonies
- two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of second-degree assault, all Class D violent felonies
- two counts of criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, both Class A misdemeanors
“This defendant preyed on and violated two elderly women while they were supposed to be in the safe harbor of their own homes,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Thanks to the great work of the Suffolk County Police Department officers and task force members, this defendant will no longer be able to harm Suffolk County residents.”
Clancy is due back in court on June 21, 2024, for sentencing and is expected to be sentenced to 22 years to life in prison.