A Connecticut man who raped and impregnated a girl in his care agreed to take a plea deal and could only serve five years in prison.
Roger Barriault, 65, of Bristol raped the girl thousands of times beginning when she was 9 years old and impregnated her when she was 12 years old, according to police records. A DNA test of the girl’s daughter proved that he was the father.
‘She feels proud that she was able to stand up to this guy that she was abused by for so long, and she feels hopeful.’
Despite the horrific nature of the accusations, Barriault was given a plea deal for first-degree sexual assault. The charge carries a sentence of 25 years that can be suspended after 10 years. He must serve a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years in prison with 20 years of probation.
Barriault was arrested after the victim, who is now an adult, went to police in 2023. She said that the Connecticut Department of Children and Families had put her in the care of a person who introduced her to Barriault. She ended up in his care and faced daily sexual assault.
Nate Baber, the victim’s attorney, said the victim was under the legal guardianship of Barriault. Law enforcement officials estimated that he had raped her between 3,800 and 4,000 times.
Barriault’s wife was also arrested and will face a charge of risk of injury to a minor.
Baber said the victim had received some sense of justice in court.
“She feels proud that she was able to stand up to this guy that she was abused by for so long, and she feels hopeful. This is the first time in a very long time she feels hopeful. That what she did was the right thing, and people are listening.”
The victim is now 30 years old and has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. She accuses them of ignoring the abuse she endured.
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A statement from the department said they were legally limited from making statements about the case.
“However, statutes do allow us to correct misinformation made public about the Department’s role in how the victim arrived in the home of the person who harmed her,” the statement reads.
“To that end, it has been reported that DCF ‘lost track’ of the victim and a prior legal guardian in 2005. To clarify, the Department had no involvement with the child or any of the involved families between 2003-2006,” the statement continues. “Also, Mr. Barriault and his wife were never licensed foster parents for the Department and the now adult victim was not placed into the home of Roger Barriault by the Department. The family received guardianship of the victim via the Probate Court as a child.”
The police warrant said there had been as many as 12 children living in Barriault’s home at one time.
Barriault will be sentenced Nov. 2025.
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