They were poster boys for a day — but apparently, that was more time than police needed. Two of the fresh faces added to Massachusett’s Most Wanted Sex Offenders list yesterday have already been found.
State troopers found William Velez Jr., 27, hiding under a bed at the Days Inn in Brighton on the same day he was added to the state’s Most Wanted list, according to State Police. Velez was convicted in 2006 of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. Upon release, he failed to register as a sex offender, police said. Police were seeking him yesterday on charges of home invasion, failure to register as a sex offender and larceny under $250. Police say they tracked down Velez from information they received after arresting two of his friends last week.
Another new addition, Marcus Nelson, 47, was arrested in Powder Springs, Ga. early yesterday just as the Most Wanted list was being circulated. Police sought Nelson for failure to register as a sex offender following serving a sentence, which began in 1987, for aggravated rape.
The Eagle-Tribune yesterday reported a man with Haverhill connections who had been added to the list. Carlos Beltran, 43, is still at large and is sought by police for failure to register as a sex offender.
The names on the Most Wanted list are typically Level 3 offenders — those classified by the state as highly likely to reoffend, given the opportunity. After serving time for their crimes, the state requires them to register with the Sex Offender Registry. The system enables police to keep track of the offenders and monitor their activities. As Bob Baker, director of operations for the Sex Offender Registry Board, said at a forum in 2007, “Level 2s are people we believe you should know about. Level 3s are the people we believe you should know about right now.”
The remaining names on the Most Wanted list are people we now know about — we just don’t know where they are. And when you’re talking about people who are believed likely to reoffend, that’s an unsettling thought.
Noah R. Bombard is the new media editor for The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover. He is a former award-winning newspaper and magazine editor who has been covering news in Massachusetts since 1997.