Unregistered sex offender volunteers at youth organization, Portsmouth police say
Joseph Diment, 77, faces felony charge
Joseph Diment, 77, faces felony charge
Joseph Diment, 77, faces felony charge
A man who is accused of having volunteered with a local youth organization without registering as a sex offender has been arrested, Portsmouth police said.
Joseph G. Diment, 77, of Wells, Maine, is a convicted child sex offender from Maine who now faces a felony sex offender duty to report charge.
Diment turned himself in to police on Wednesday.
Police said Diment was required to complete a background check to volunteer at the organization. When officers said he failed to comply, police were notified.
“In this situation, he wasn't alone with those children, but at the same time, this is something that could've been, you know, its very alarming,” Det. Sg. John Peracchi said.
Diment was convicted two years ago on two charges of unlawful sexual contact with a child under the age of twelve.
Diment shows up on Maine's sex offender registry, but now New Hampshire's.
Police said the youth organization became suspicious when he dragged his feet at their request for a background check.
"Well, the fact that the youth organization did their due diligence and they were persistent about having this background check done really helped identify this person so we were able to take that person away from that environment," Peracchi said.
"It scares me. I mean I have a 2 1/2-year-old, and she's almost two months and you know, not everyone's honest," Jenna Bickford said.
The law requires sex offenders to register in communities where they work or volunteer.
"When somebody misses a deadline where they are supposed to register, we are going to complete an arrest warrant and seek justice on them," Peracchi said.
Diment was released on $2,500 personal recognizance bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 27.
The felony charge carries a possible sentence of 3 1/2 to 7 years.