PLUM ISLAND — Police have charged a known sex offender with attempting to rape a woman who was jogging last night along a remote Plum Island beach.
Scott A. Gagnon, 51, of Tewksbury, was arrested and charged with assault with intent to rape, subsequent offense. He is being held on $50,000 bail.
The assault occurred at the Ipswich end of Plum Island. That end of Plum Island is accessibly by a dirt road that rambles for miles through the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, ending at the Sandy Point State Reservation. There are only a few dozen parking spots and limited access to the beach, making it one of the most remote beach and wilderness spots in the area.
Police say the woman managed to escape and used her cellphone to call for help. Police from Ipswich and Newbury, and the federal Fish and Wildlife officers assigned to Plum Island, joined forces to make the arrest.
Local police told The Daily News that while sexual assaults are uncommon in the refuge, authorities know that sexual predators have been drawn to the area for years due to its remote and wild nature. They say that women should take precautions when visiting the park.
Gagnon is listed as a Level 3 sex offender, which is the most dangerous level. He spent 27 years in jail after he pled guilty to multiple counts of rape. Last week he was arrested in Havehill for attempting to solicit a prostitute. He was released on a $550 fine, according to The Eagle-Tribune.
Police say Gagnon was fired from the McDonald's a year ago because a female customer recognized him from the state's sex offender registry and complained to restaurant management. He sued the restaurant and the woman, alleging that information on sex offender registry Web sites cannot be used to discriminate against employees.
Lawyers for Gagnon claimed the Sex Offender Registry Board prohibited actions such as the one taken by the customer. The suit was eventually dropped.
