HAVERHILL, Mass. — Carlos Beltran, one of the most wanted sex offenders in Massachusetts, has eluded police for a year.
Investigators said they have been looking for him since July 2008, when he failed to appear at a probation hearing and register as a sex offender.
Yesterday, the state added his name to its list of the 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders in Massachusetts.
Police said Beltran, 43, who was convicted in 2006 of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in Haverhill, poses a threat to other young people. They are asking for the public's help in finding him.
"He is a convicted sex offender. He's not registered so nobody knows where he is," said Deputy police Chief Donald Thompson. "It's not a good thing for the community that he's out there."
In August 2006, Haverhill police arrested Beltran and charged him with rape and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older. In December 2006, Beltran was convicted on those charges that he sexually assaulted two Haverhill teenage girls after luring them to his 622 Main St. home with job offers. Police told The Eagle-Tribune at the time that Beltran encountered the two girls, ages 16 and 17, as they sought employment applications at a local fast-food restaurant. He offered the girls jobs at a business he owned that dealt in stereo speakers, police said.
Beltran served 18 months in state prison. He also served one year for possession of a device used for wiretapping.
After his release from jail, Beltran was enrolled in a sex offender counseling program, according to probation officials. But he violated his probation when he failed to complete the program and did not notify the court and police that he left the program. William Moynihan, Haverhill's chief of probation, said he does not know why Beltran left the program.
On July 21, 2008, a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear at a probation violation hearing in Haverhill District Court. When police went to his listed address to arrest him on the warrant, they could not find him. A second warrant was issued after he failed to register as a sex offender, probation officials said.
Haverhill police and probation officials subsequently requested that his name be added to the most wanted list. But because only 10 people can be on the list at a time, they had to wait.
"Someone has to be arrested to vacate a space for you to be included in the top 10," Moynihan said.
The Massachusetts State Police and the state's Sex Offender Registry Board added five people to their list of the 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders yesterday. The newcomers, including Beltran, replace offenders who were captured since the list was last updated in the fall.
Moynihan said new regulations that were put in place after Beltran eluded them require sex offenders to wear GPS devices that allow their movements to be tracked.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
Hot line to provide information on Carlos Beltran: 1-800-KAPTURE (1-800-527-8873) or 508-820-2121.
Details in terror plot revealed
Red Sox players, fans react to the epic collapse
Buy Shonda Schilling's clothes for a good cause
Sox fans feeling let down again
