At Risk from Sex Offenders in the Hudson Valley: 3rd Accused of Repeat Behavior

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Three men listed on New York's Registry of Sex Offenders have been accused this spring of committing new sex crimes. The issue prompted several local officials to hold a recent discussion about the laws, the resources and the information available on sex offenders.

"The recent re-arrest of a level 2 sex offender in Cortlandt reaffirms what I have said all along - we need tougher laws to prevent them from harming our children," State Sen. Terrence Murphy said after he hosted the roundtable discussion. "Kenneth Brody knew the consequences of his actions. He had a choice, and yet he still chose to harm a teenaged boy. He received a slap on the wrist for his first offense. This time there can be no excuses and no leniency. He deserves to bear the full weight of justice for his latest heinous act."

New York state police arrested Kenneth Brody April 22 and charged him with three felony counts of Criminal Sexual Act in the 2nd Degree. They allege that their detailed investigation found that Brody, currently a Level 2 sex offender, subjected a teenage boy under the age of 15 to sexual contact on several occasions.

The other two sex offenders who were re-arrested, David Ohnmacht, 36, and Isaac Esau Jara, 29, were convicted of different sex crimes. Each was re-arrested in March. Jara, like Brody, is classified Level 2 in the New York Registry of Sex Offenders. Ohnmacht is classified Level 3.

During the roundtable discussion, Somers Supervisor Rick Morrissey pointed out that sex offenders are like “ticking time bombs” in the community because such a large percent of them commit repeat crimes, Tap Into Mahopac reported.

"Law enforcement and legislators have a responsibility to keep citizens safe from sexual predators," said Captain Bruce Donnelly, President of the Westchester County Superior Officers Association. "Updating Megan's Law is a resource that helps us do just that, however this law has to be updated to keep up with today's technology."

In addition to discussing updating Megan's Law and other legislation to protect children, the group decided to explore forming a regional task force to pool resources and information.

"New and innovative ideas were developed that could potentially strengthen existing laws or enact new laws to protect everyone against sexual offenders," said Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble.

According to the NY Department of Justice:

• Level 1 = low risk of repeat offense
• Level 2 = moderate risk of repeat offense
• Level 3 = high risk of repeat offense
• Level P = offender is registered but risk of repeat offense has not yet been determined

"The observed sexual recidivism rates of sex offenders range from about 5 percent after 3 years to about 24 percent after 15 years," wrote Roger Przybylski in a U.S. Justice Department July 2015 research brief. "and there is universal agreement in the scientific community that the observed recidivism rates of sex offenders are underestimates of actual reoffending."

There are also three designations that may be assigned to a sex offender in New York: sexual predator, sexually violent offender, or predicate sex offender. These designations, along with risk level, govern the length of time that an offender must register. Click here for a chart of risk level and duration of registration.

Ohnmacht is not only classified Level 3, he is designated a “sexually violent offender” by the state.

Jara and Brody have no designation.

The state also makes public the number of sex offenders and how they're classified in each county.

The possibility that Ohnmacht would resume the predatory activities for which he had been convicted was a big concern for the Katonah community, into which he moved when he was released from prison in 2011.
The crimes for which he was previously convicted were rape and sodomy against teenage girls, ranging in age from 13 to 15. He met some of the teens through his jobs, which included birthday party DJ, children’s theater worker, ice cream truck driver and camp counselor. In addition to the rape and sodomy, other charges included possessing pictures of a sexual performance by a child. Law enforcement officials said they found more than 1,000 pornographic images on his computer.

Prosecutors alleged in March that Ohnmacht, then a Bedford Hills resident, persuaded a 14-year-old girl to “engage in sexually explicit activity, video it and transmit it via Instagram to him. Ohnmacht allegedly convinced the girl to send him sexually explicit videos of herself and threatened to release it to her friends if she did not send more.

Jara, an Ossining resident, had been designated a Level 2 sex offender in February. Convicted in 2014 of possessing and promoting an obscene sexual performance, after FBI and New York State Police investigations into his downloads of child pornography, Jara received 366 days in federal prison and five years of supervised release. He was released to federal probation on Nov. 17, 2015.

Jara again is accused of owning and sharing obscene images of children from infancy to prepubescence; his first upload to ChatStep was Dec. 19, 2016, prosecutors alleged in March.

Brody was first arrested in 1992 in Greenburgh and accused of having sexual contact with an 8-year-old boy, according to the state's Sex Offender Registry. He was sentenced to five years probation.

For information about the state sex offender registry and where to get help if you are a victim of sexual abuse, go here.

SEE:

• At Risk from Sex Offenders in the Hudson Valley: 2 Accused of Repeat Crimes
  
• Registered Sex Offender Accused of New Crime in Cortlandt