By Cindy J. Roth
The recent rash of kidnappings across the country has parents on heightened alert for the safety of their children, but for Lynbrook residents those fears are hitting a little closer to home. A level-three sex offender recently moved into the village.
Richard Geoffrion, 23, was convicted of child molestation and sentenced to eight months in jail and 12-months probation on June 14, 2001, according to the Kitsap, WA Superior Court Clerk's Office. (The incident took place in Bremerton, WA.) Geoffrion took a plea bargain and plead guilty to slipping a substance into a 15-year-old girl's drink of water, rendering her unconscious. He proceeded to have sexual intercourse with the minor while she remained unconscious.
A year earlier, July 5, 2000, Geoffrion was also sentenced to five days of confinement after taking a plea bargain and pleading guilty to third-degree rape and fourth-degree assault, according to the clerk's office.
Geoffrion is the first known level-three sex offender to reside in Lynbrook, according to Joseph Neve, Lynbrook chief of police. Villagers were notifyed of Geoffrion's relocation to the area through a letter sent by William Metikiff, Lynbrook School District superintendent, earlier last month.
Sex offenders are categorized by levels one, two and three based on the probability of a repeat offense. Level-three sex offenders are the most dangerous and pose the greatest risk of repeat offense in addition to being categorized as a threat to public safety.
The Sex Offender Registration Act, better known as Megan's Law, mandates that sex offenders register with local police departments after conviction or upon release from prison. The law was designed to notify parents about predators who move into their neighborhoods to better protect their children.
"This is not something that makes me feel comfortable," said Nassau County Legis. Francis X. Becker Jr. (R-Lynbrook), about having a level-three sex offender in Lynbrook. "At least with Megan's Law everyone can be on alert."
Geoffrion, who also goes by first name of Gino, is a white male, 6 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 170 pounds, has brown hair, brown eyes and a tattoo on his upper right arm. All level-three sex offenders must register for life with local law enforcement agencies and must also verify their address every 90 days.
Geoffrion, a former U.S. Navy seaman apprentice, was stationed and living in Washington State when he committed the felonies. After his release from jail, he moved to Suffolk County, before moving in with his grandmother in Lynbrook in late June. Suffolk County Probation Department Director Vincent Iaria said while Geoffrion was under their watch, he attended a treatment group with trained counselors and he also underwent psychological testing.
For the rest of his probation, which ends in February 2003, Geoffrion is living under a curfew and sex offender, alcohol and narcotics conditions. Both the Nassau and Suffolk county probation departments and the state Division of Criminal Justice Services would not elaborate on specifics of the special conditions.
Geoffrion was unable to be reached for this article. He did not return six phone messages left at his home.
