Crime & Safety
Newport Police Nab Wanted Sex Offender
Newport police arrested a registered sex offender wanted for failing to appear in court who was found at a local shelter.
NEWPORT, RI—Newport police on Tuesday arrested a man wanted for failing to appear in court on a prior charge of failing to notify police of an address change.
Ronald J. Brown, 53, of 160 Broad St., Providence, was arrested on Tuesday, police said
Police said Brown, a registered sex offender, was picked up on a warrant out of Providence County Superior Court for failing to appear in court for a cost review hearing.
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Police said they located Brown at a local homeless shelter. He reportedly said he wasn't aware there was an outstanding warrant.
The charged stemmed from a previous charge of failing to register an address change as a sex offender, a charge he has faced numerous times since his 2006 conviction for third-degree sexual assault, according to court records.
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Brown is now being held without bail at the ACI pending an April 21 screening conference.
Brown's victim was a girl 14 or younger.
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