Sunday, February 25, 2007

Charged man had prior convictions

New Jersey Herald: "A Vernon man arrested this month for failing to register as a sex offender had been convicted of molesting six boys in California during the 1980s, a San Diego district attorney said.

Sean-Michael Lyons, 44, has been suspended from jobs as a mental health clinician at Newton Hospital and as a Reformed Catholic Church pastor in the region. He posted $5,000 bail pending a court appearance.

In 1985, a San Diego County jury convicted Lyons of lewd acts — 10 completed and two attempted — against boys ages 7 to 13 when he worked as a YMCA counselor, D.A. Garland Peed said.

The district attorney pulled the file from storage after authorities in Sussex County asked for assistance with their case, he said.

The file shows he was sentenced to 12 years in prison but doesn't indicate how much of that he served.

Local authorities have declined to say what triggered Lyons' recent arrest."

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