NYC ‘illegally’ placed pedophiles near Upper West Side playground
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The city dumped at least six homeless pedophiles, all still on parole, at a luxury Upper West Side hoteljust a block from an elementary-school playground — an apparent violation of state law, online records show.
The outrage is only the latest slap in the face to residents of the Manhattan neighborhood — who as The Post reported have had to deal with everything from public urination to open drug use since the city began moving hundreds of homeless into the area amid the coronavirus.
“Completely unacceptable,” seethed Sabina Popovic, 32, who was at the playground with her daughter, 5, and son, 1, Friday.
The six parolees — including a man who had forced sex with a 4-year-old girl — were listed by the state Sex Offender Registry as current residents of the Belleclaire hotel at Broadway and West 77th Street as of Friday night.
The hotel is just under 1,000 feet from the playground of PS 87 — and New York state law bars such high-risk sex offenders on probation or parole from “knowingly entering into or upon” schools or other facilities or other facilities “primarily used” by children if a minor is present. Courts have interpreted that to mean they must keep 1,000 feet away.
Reached for comment on the registry listings showing the men currently live at the Belleclaire, a city rep said Friday that the listings are not accurate and that the “names you reference are not at that location.”
Asked if the men had ever lived at the hotel — and why that remained their official address — the rep declined further comment, citing confidentiality rules.
A rep for the state registry said the list reflects the most current information the agency has.
The city began quietly moving the homeless into the Belleclaire and other Upper West Side hotels in recent weeks, amid fears that its shelters couldn’t provide enough pandemic social distancing.
The six sex-offenders who are still on parole and, according to the sex offender registry, living at the Belleclaire as of Friday night are:
Devron Vernal, 26, a sexually violent offender convicted in 2015 of physically overpowering and having sex with a 4-year-old girl. He was sentenced to four years in prison and remains on parole until 2028.
Jonathan Evans, 29, a sexually violent offender convicted in 2010 for using threats to force intercourse on a 6-year-old boy. He was sentenced to five years prison, and is not off of parole until 2025.
Anderson Stuckey, 51, is a sexually violent offender convicted in 2005 for using threats to rape a 10-year-old girl.
He was sentenced to 12 years prison, and is not off parole until 2024. Under the condition of his supervision by state parole officials, he is to have no contact with minors, no alcohol, and must submit to substance abuse testing. “NO SEXUAL ENHANCING MEDICATIONS” his registry listing states in all caps.
Orlando Velasco, 35, is a sexually violent offender convicted in 2011 of repeatedly sexually molesting a child who was under the age of 11. He was sentenced to 42 months of prison, and is not off parole until 2022.
Under the terms of his parole, he must take a sex offender program and anti-violence and aggression counseling, consume no alcohol, not operate a motor vehicle, and have no unsupervised contact with minors. “NO SEXUALLY ENHANCING DRUGS” his registry listing also states.
Ronald Butler, 62, is a predicate sex offender who was convicted in 2013 of rape in the third degree for repeatedly using physical force to overpower and have intercourse with a 16-year-old girl.
He was sentenced to 30 months state prison, and is not off parole until 2025. Among the conditions of his supervision by state parole officials he must continue counseling, consume no alcohol and have no contact with minors.
Rafael Medina, 37, was convicted in 2015 of forcibly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in Fort Plain Village, in Montgomery County, NY. He was sentenced to three years prison and is on parole until 2023.
“Look, we’re a progressive-minded community, and we tend to be sympathetic to the homeless,’’ a neighborhood mom who asked not to be identified by name said at the PS 87 playground Friday.
“But with sex offenders, draw the line.”
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