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Police arrest missing sex offender at North Hills restaurant

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Channel 11 was the only news station there Thursday when a local sex offender who hadn’t registered under Megan’s Law was tracked to a restaurant in the North Hills.

State police notified Ross Township after they investigated and found Richard Scott Patrick had been working as a dishwasher at a restaurant on Babcock Boulevard.

He had been living off the grid for about a year.

Police told Channel 11 how grateful they were to the owner of the restaurant, who not only cooperated but made their job a lot easier when they showed up to take Patrick into custody.

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"While his original case didn’t originate out of Ross Township, or Allegheny County, for that matter, he was still required to notify local law enforcement as to his residing or working within the township,” said Sgt. Ben Dripps, with the Ross Township Police Department.

Patrick, whose sex crimes involved an underage girl and were committed in another state, was required to register his address and employment under Megan’s Law for 10 years.

Police told Channel 11 the last time Patrick was in compliance with the federal law, he lived in Connellsville.

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Using state employment records, the Pennsylvania State Police's Megan’s Law unit tracked Patrick to a Ross Township restaurant and, with the cooperation of the restaurant owner, took him into custody Thursday morning.

"The owner of this particular restaurant was never made aware of the past conviction or his requirement under Megan’s Law," Dripps said. "It came as quite a surprise to him. We are very fortunate he cooperated with our investigation.”

Patrick was booked into the Allegheny County Jail. A judge will decide his penalty.

 

Cox Media Group

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