A counselor working his second year at Camp Quinipet on Shelter Island was arrested the night of July 21 at JFK Airport in Queens, charged with rape in the 1st degree. Manuel Escalera Ibanez, 23, of Madrid, Spain, faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
It appears the alleged rape happened on camp property, at a time when no children were present.
The arrest was made at the airport as Escalera Ibanez was about to board a plane destined for Spain, Shelter Island Police Chief James Read said Tuesday.
Given the need to protect the identity of the victim, the chief would not confirm details of the rape, other than the charges themselves: the felony charge of rape in the first degree, defined as sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion, and a misdemeanor charge of criminal obstruction of breathing.
The chief did confirm that Escalera Ibanez was represented by an attorney from the Legal Aid Society during his July 22 arraignment in Shelter Island’s Justice Court. Bail was set at $150,000, which has not been posted.
Escalera Ibanez was also required to turn over his passport.
Escalera Ibanez was being held in the county jail in Riverside as of Wednesday morning.
Read also said that the Shelter Island department is working with Suffolk County detectives and the District Attorney’s office and that the investigation is not yet complete.
An email sent out Friday afternoon by Camp Quinipet indicated that the incident occurred the Saturday before the arrest, when there were no children at the camp.
Sleep-over campers at Camp Quinipet are dropped off by parents every Sunday, spend the week at the Methodist not-for-profit camp and retreat, then are picked up the following Saturday, making Saturday night the only night during the week when there are no campers present.
According to Escalera Ibanez’s LinkedIn page, he started working last year at the camp as a counselor and swimming instructor for campers. This year, he was also supervising the camp’s lifeguards, according to the LinkedIn page.
In the press release sent out on Friday afternoon, July 25, camp officials offered few details of the incident
“Quinipet Camp & Retreat Center has received inquiries about a recent incident,” the release said. “Because this matter is being investigated by criminal authorities, it is not appropriate for us to comment further at this time. Quinipet leadership is fully cooperating with local law enforcement and is committed to supporting their efforts as they carry out their investigation.”
The camp sent out an email blast to parents of campers on Friday that stated, in part, “We are genuinely saddened about a recent incident. The incident occurred between camp sessions when no children were on-site and did not involve any campers.”
Lisa Isom, communications director for the camp, declined to comment Tuesday as to why the camp waited until Friday afternoon, July 25, before reaching out to the parents of the campers. She pointed out the sensitive nature of the investigation and said that the camp was cooperating fully with the police.
Shelter Island detectives were assisted in making the arrest at the Queens airport by agents from the Department of Homeland Security, and the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
Under the law, there is a time limit which requires the D.A. to release a defendant charged with a felony who cannot post bail within a set number of hours from the moment of his arrest, if he is not indicted. It appears, however, that that right for Escalera Ibanez to be released if not indicted has been waived, at least for the time being.
