MARBLEHEAD — A Level 2 sex offender admitted yesterday that he failed to tell Marblehead police he was moving to an apartment on Pleasant Street last month.
Now John F. Sullivan Jr., 65, will spend five months in jail, followed by 10 years of probation and lifetime parole supervision, after pleading guilty to failing to register as a sex offender. He also agreed to be returned to Wisconsin after he completes his jail term so he can face unrelated charges in that state.
If he violates his probation, he faces serving out the balance of a 21/2-year prison term imposed by Salem District Court Judge Robert Cornetta yesterday.
Sullivan, who has been in custody since May at Middleton Jail, is also facing fugitive-from-justice charges. He was given 38 days' credit toward the five months he'll have to serve.
A Level 2 sex offender's information is on file at a local police station, but, unlike with the more serious Level 3 offenders, that information is not disseminated in the media.
Sullivan has been required to register as a sex offender as a result of his 2001 conviction for indecent assault and battery. He served six months of an 18-month jail term in that case.
Prosecutor Jana DiNatale said Sullivan has a history of failing to register. In August 2005, he spent 45 days in jail for failing to register with Peabody police. Beverly police reported earlier this year that Sullivan had registered with them, listing himself as homeless and staying at a shelter at 56 River St., but that he actually spent just one night there, the prosecutor said.
In May, Marblehead police learned that Sullivan had moved into an apartment at 174 Pleasant St. He had signed a lease on May 1 but, under the law, was required to tell police where he was moving 10 days prior to the move.
When the judge asked Sullivan if he understood the charges, he told the judge, "I have a little problem with the 10 days before for a homeless person, but that's not a discussion for today."
Cornetta said he didn't understand Sullivan's point. Defense lawyer Allison Bloomquist leaned over and spoke with Sullivan briefly.
"Never mind," Sullivan then said to the judge.
Because it was not his first offense, prosecutors could have sought an indictment against Sullivan, which would have resulted in a minimum mandatory five-year prison term if he had been subsequently convicted.
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