By RUSS OLIVO

WOONSOCKET — State prosecutors will seek to try 17-year-old John Price of Bourdon Boulevard as an adult after he was arrested for the brutal beating and rape of a 2-year-old girl earlier this week.
Michael Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch, said state law requires prosecutors to file a petition for a waiver of juvenile status for 17-year-olds accused of rape, child molestation or murder.

But even if the petition weren’t mandatory, Healey said prosecutors would have pushed for a juvenile waiver petition in this case anyway, purely because of the egregious nature of the allegations.
“Even if it weren’t mandatory, I can’t imagine we wouldn’t seek a waiver anyway,” Healey said. “The allegations are revolting.”
The police said the boy was babysitting his girlfriend’s child Sunday night when he allegedly beat, bit and raped the child repeatedly.
After coming home and discovering welts on the baby’s face, the mother, who is 24, questioned her boyfriend about the injuries and later dialed 911, police said.
Doctors at Landmark Medical Center and Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence discovered that the child had welts, bruises and bite marks all over her body, according to police. The doctors also discovered evidence that the child had been sexually penetrated.
The alleged perpetrator was arrested early Monday morning and charges of first-degree sexual assault and first-degree child abuse. He is currently held at the Rhode Island Training School pending a probable cause hearing in Family Court.
Healey said it would be up to Chief Family Court Justice Jeremiah S. Jeremiah to determine if the boy should be waived out of Family Court to be tried as an adult in Superior Court, where he could face up to life in prison on charges of first-degree sexual assault. State prosecutors must prepare a formal petition arguing in favor of the waiver, a process that could take about a month, he said.
The alleged victim in the case had remained hospitalized at Hasbro Children’s Hospital for at least two days, but efforts to determine her whereabouts Wednesday were not successful.