Weymouth Sex Offender Ordered Held Without Bail

Originally published Oct. 17, 2016.

WEYMOUTH, MA — A level 3 sex offender that recently moved to Weymouth has been ordered held without bail.

Monday morning, Richard Gardner appeared in Roxbury District Court following his arrest for an alleged probation violation. He was taken into custody at a South Boston shelter on a Rhode Island arrest warrant Friday night.

Gardner will be held without bail after waiving extradition to Rhode Island. His attorney told Robert Goulston of WFXT that Rhode Island officials are looking into whether he was in an area frequented by children.

In 1989, Gardner was convicted of rape of a child with force, indecent assault and battery on a child 14 or younger, and rape and abuse of a child. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In Rhode Island, he was sentenced to 190 years in prison for indecent assault and battery on a child 14 or younger, but received a shorter sentence upon appeal in 1993.

On Oct. 6, the Weymouth Police Department notified residents that Gardner had moved to Chandler Street following a lengthy stay in prison. Two days later, Gardner received a court summons after entering a library in Quincy, violating a city ordinance that forbids sex offenders from entering schools, libraries, or daycare centers unless given written permission by the school administration, library administration, or daycare center owner. Police said at the time that he wasn't wanted by police and the offense didn't appear to violate his probation.

Last week, the Plymouth County District Attorney's office said that they didn't civilly commit Gardner in a mental institution due to human error. Prosecutors could have argued to civilly commit him due to his sex offender status. He also learned that he had to leave Weymouth because his probation officer moved to the Suffolk County courts.

As of Oct. 16, Gardner is no longer listed as a Weymouth resident in the state's sex offender registry.

Image via Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry