CUMBERLAND, R.I. (AP) – A convicted sex offender released from prison in April allegedly broke into a woman’s home and raped her last weekend, angering neighbors who wondered why they had not been told a high-risk offender was living nearby.
A 27-year-old woman told police on Sunday that a neighbor in her apartment complex had raped her early that morning, Cumberland police said in a news release. After a search, police arrested Gary Lamountain, 37, and charged him with first-degree sexual assault and breaking and entering.
Lamountain was released from prison in April after serving a sentence for rape, according to state records. In a written statement, Police Chief John Desmarais said Lamountain registered with Cumberland police upon his release from prison.
The state parole board was closed for the Victory Day state holiday Monday, and no one there could be reached for comment. Cumberland police said they were not informed until the week of July 30 that Lamountain was classified as a Level III offender, the most serious designation, which means he was considered a high-risk to commit another sexual crime.
The Level III designation requires police to alert the local community.
Cumberland police were preparing to issue a warning about Lamountain prior to the alleged attack, but the process was not complete, Desmarais said.
“I can’t believe it,” Lamountain’s downstairs neighbor Dawn Bryson told WLNE-TV. “I got this guy living above me that’s a registered sex offender, Level III. We should have been informed.”
Lamountain was jailed at the Adult Correctional Institutions until an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday.
AP-ES-08-13-07 1848EDT
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