Charges upgraded for convicted sex offender

Charges and bail have been upgraded for a convicted sex offender accused of preying on another child in Yorktown. Police say James Cleary, 45, molested an 11-year-old boy from White Plains at his home

News 12 Staff

Aug 20, 2008, 3:28 AM

Updated 5,972 days ago

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Charges and bail have been upgraded for a convicted sex offender accused of preying on another child in Yorktown.
Police say James Cleary, 45, molested an 11-year-old boy from White Plains at his home on Mohegan Lake. He was arrested on misdemeanor charges Monday, but prosecutors upped the charges to felony child sexual abuse Tuesday.
Cleary's lawyer, Francis O'Reilly, has yet to enter a plea.
"My client is entitled to a presumption of innocence," says O'Reilly. "He is also entitled to a vigorous defense."
The incident allegedly happened after the boy's family went on a boat trip with Cleary and his family. The boy's family claims to have had no idea that Cleary was a registered sex offender.
Cleary was convicted of attempted sexual abuse in 1999 for an incident involving a 12-year-old boy from Long Island. He served four months in prison before being released on probation and registering as a level two sex offender.
Cleary has been caught several times since with underage boys. He spent a year in jail in 2003 and another six months behind bars in 2007 for illegal contact with a minor.
Registered sex offender accused of molesting boy