BOSTON, January 10, 2017—A Level 3 sex offender was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing at his arraignment today on charges he assaulted two women during a break-in, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

RONALD BROWN (D.O.B. 3/20/64), who lists the Pine Street Inn as he primary residence, was arraigned today in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of indecent assault and battery, evidence tampering, assault for the purposes of racial intimidation, burglary with assault, and two counts each of aggravated rape, robbery, kidnapping, and witness intimidation.

Brown is additionally charged as a habitual offender and with aggravated rape as a second offense as a result of his prior convictions. According to prosecutors, Brown was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court in 1986 of aggravated rape, burglary, and other offenses for attacking a woman during a similar incident; he was sentenced to 18 to 25 years in state prison for those offenses.  In 2013, prosecutors said, he was convicted of multiple counts of juror intimidation for an incident that occurred during a separate trial at Worcester Superior Court.

At the request of Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum, chief of the DA’s Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Unit, Clerk Magistrate Anne Kaczmarek ordered that Brown continue to be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing under Chapter 276, Section 58A, of the Massachusetts General Laws. The statute allows a judge to hold a defendant accused of certain offenses without bail for up to 120 days pending trial upon “clear and convincing evidence that no conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of any other person or the community.” That hearing is scheduled to take place Jan. 17.

Brown has been held without bail since his Oct. 12 arraignment in Boston Municipal Court in connection with the case. Today’s arraignment moves his case to Suffolk Superior Court, where it will be adjudicated.

According to prosecutors, Brown entered an unlocked window of a Clarendon Street apartment at approximately 3:45 a.m. on Oct. 11. He allegedly blindfolded, gagged, and bound two women inside the apartment and sexually assaulted both victims.  Prosecutors said Brown told one of the women that he hated Chinese people, referring to his apparent belief regarding the victim’s heritage.  He rifled through the victims’ belongings and demanded passwords for electronic devices that he later took with him when he fled.

Prosecutors said that Brown threatened to kill both victims and those close to them if they called police or deviated in any way from their daily routines. Both women took the threats seriously and went to work following the assaults — but each separately reported the attack later in the day.

Boston Police searched the victims’ apartment and located a medication bottle bearing Brown’s name. Brown was located at Pine Street Inn, where staff had observed him in the hours after the assaults wearing the same distinctive clothing described by the victims, prosecutors said.

When arrested at the shelter, Brown was carrying a purple backpack containing electronics, jewelry, and other items stolen from the victims.

Sexual assault can happen to anyone. While the victims of any crime are asked to call 911 in an emergency, survivors of sexual violence can also call their local rape crisis center for free and confidential services and to discuss their options. Support is available for all survivors of sexual violence, regardless of whether they wish to take part in a criminal prosecution. Services by city and town can be found at www.janedoe.org/find_help/search.

In Suffolk County, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center offers a free and confidential 24-hour hotline at 800-841-8371. The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center provides medical accompaniment and many other free services to victims of rape and sexual assault. Suffolk victim-witness advocates can assist in referrals to BARCC and a wide array of non-profit service providers who can offer additional support and services.

Anne Kelley-McCarthy is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Brown was represented by Ed Molari.  He returns to court Jan. 17 for a dangerousness hearing.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.