A man working at the Fairbanks Inn in St. Johnsbury allegedly kissed a 9 year-old girl

A man working at the Fairbanks Inn in St. Johnsbury allegedly kissed a 9 year-old girl on the lips. Dinesh Gundupalli, 24, who has family in India, was arrested on Feb. 27 for felony charges of lewd & lascivious conduct with a child and 2nd-degree unlawful restraint. Gundupalli was held on $15,000 bail and conditions of release by Judge Daniel Richardson. On January 5, 2024, the father of the child reported to the St. Johnsbury Police Department that his “9-year-old daughter was kissed by a 25-year-old man – Dinesh Gundupalli.”“It should be noted that the father of the child said the alleged incident happened on December 30, 2023,” Murphy wrote. The alleged victim said that she and her friend went to get a key from the front desk. The alleged victim said that as she was trying to walk away, he said something along the lines of “give your big brother a big hug.” The alleged victim said that she hugged him because she did not want to “upset” him. She said she felt him either put his chin on the top of her head or kissed her on the top of her head. She said “after that” she was pushed into a corner, and he kissed her on the lips.  She tried to go down the stairs, but Gundupalli grabbed her by the arm, pushed her into a corner ‘and then he kissed me’…she said.  After the kiss she “pushed him out of the way and ran downstairs. Gundupalli has now been released from Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury after someone paid his bail. He will live in Massachusetts but he must turn his passport over to the court and must not be on the property of the Fairbanks Inn.