Peterson Backs Three Strikes You're Out Law

Rep. George Peterson has three words for residents frustrated that registered sex offender and Grafton resident Brian Addeo was on parole, despite a series of sex charges.

Support Melissa's Law.

The law would eliminate parole for three-time offenders of violent crime.

The law bears the name of Melissa Gosule, who was raped and murdered by a man with a long criminal history.

Peterson said that the law faces a tough struggle in the Legislature, in part because not all cases are black and white. 

"It's going to be another tough battle, I'm sure,'' he said.

The state representative from Grafton hosted a meeting last night to discuss resudents' concerns about Brian Addeo, a registered sex offender who detached his mandated GPS monitoring bracelet and fled to Maine.

Addeo, a Grafton resident, was on lifetime parole after pleading guilty to a variety of charges, including indecent assault and battery and statutory rape.

Peterson said the automatic six months' sentence for removing the bracelet is not adequate. "That should be a major violation,'' he said.

Addeo is currently in the Worcester County House of Correction in West Boylston for an automatic six-month sentence for violating parole.

District Attorney Joseph Early is working on filing other charges against Addeo, Peterson said. 

Peterson said he also advocates truth in sentencing efforts, so criminals serve the time their conviction calls for.

For more information on Melissa's Law, visit http://themelissagosulefoundation.org.