UPDATED: Level 3 Sex Offender Registers with Marlborough Police

The alerted the media on Thursday afternoon to the fact the a Level III sex offender has registered to live inside the City limits.

Charles T. Gilchrest, 51, formerly of 26 Oak Pond Ave., Millbury, according to court records recorded in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, registered his home address in Marlborough at 62 Neil St. 

Gilchrest was convicted on Jan. 13, 2011 on three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years of age. 

"Pursuant to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Statute, I am obligated to notify various organizations of the presence of Level III (high risk of re-offense) Sex Offenders in the community," said Chief Mark Leonard in a statement.

The Chief did stress that Gilchrest is not currently wanted by police.

The original charges in the case came after he was arrested on a warrant in Bellingham, according to the July 22, 2010 issue of The Milford Daily News.

He was arraigned in Worcester District Court in late July of 2010 where he was accused of two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and three counts of rape of a child with force. He was released on $20,000 cash bail at that time, according to the court records.

The Milford Daily News reported Gilchrest's address as being in Marlborough at 62 Neil St., while those early court records reveal the address in Millbury. A call to the Worcester District Clerk's office by Marlborough Patch, to clarify this point and to acquire the details of his sentence, has not yet been returned.

Gilchrest's address in this case is an important factor as his Marlborough residence appears to be less than 1000 feet away from a public park. This would be a violation of his status as a Level III offender, in that the local ordinance requires him to maintain a residence beyond that distance, unless he has lived at that location since before the law was written.

A Marlborough Patch reader contacted the Marlborough Police Department on Friday and was told that Gilchrest met the residency requirement—being grandfathered in at that locale—and would only be in violation if he was found loitering in the area of the park.

Gilchrest is one of nine Level 3 offenders living in the Marlborough community.

The classification of Level 3 is derived from the State's belief that the offender may recidivate.

"The Board has determined that this individual is at a high risk to reoffend and that the degree of dangerousness posed to the public is such that a substantial public safety interest is served by active community notification," said a statement.

By releasing this information to the public, the police department is simply acting in accordance with Massachusetts state law. (See attached flier)

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