WORCESTER—A Charlton woman who was acting as a foster parent was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for raping a 12-year-old child in her care, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
Heather Wright-Craft, 52, was found guilty on Sept. 12 of two counts of rape of a child—one aggravated by age difference and one aggravated by her role as a mandated reporter. She was acquitted of one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.
Following the verdict, Wright-Craft’s bail was revoked, and she was taken into custody. On Friday, a Worcester Superior Court judge sentenced her to two concurrent prison terms of 10 years to 10 years and one day.
Prosecutors said the assaults took place in 2015 in Charlton, where Wright-Craft was serving as the child’s foster parent. She was arrested in August 2017 and indicted the following March.
“Assistant District Attorney Thomas Ayres and Victim Witness Advocate Rachel Murphy did an excellent job on this case,” District Attorney Early said in a statement. “I also want to recognize the great investigative work conducted by the Charlton Police Department on the case.”
Charlton Police Chief Daniel Dowd also commended the prosecutor’s office, saying, “I’d like to thank the persistent hard work of the DA’s Office.”
