SYRACUSE, NY (CNY Central) — On Tuesday, June 10, the Onondaga County Sheriff and District Attorney came together to announce the arrest of 33-year-old Ryan Pontello.
Deputies say he raped a five-year-old girl after luring her away from a playground with candy and into the woods at the Windsor Place Apartment complex off of Bear Road Sunday.
“[I’m] very proud of the job they did to essentially take a community’s worst nightmare off the street,” said Onondaga County DA Bill Fitzpatrick.
Investigators say Pontello now faces charges for Rape, sex abuse, luring a child and endangering the welfare of a child. He’s also facing additional charges for sex abuse and endangering the welfare of a child earlier this spring. Deputies say he committed sex crimes involving a three-year-old girl in that case.
They released four photos of the man, who is a registered level-one sex offender. “We are concerned that Pontello is a suspect in other incidents,” said Sheriff Toby Shelley, urging the community to look at the photos and reach out to law enforcement with any information that could lead to other victims of abuse.
Pontello’s Criminal History
A 2013 conviction lead to Pontello’s level-one sex offender status, for an incident involving a five-year-old girl in Oswego County. Records show the incident happened in 2011 in the Town of Palermo. The I-Team uncovered a plea deal taken by Pontello to lower the sex abuse charge to a misdemeanor.
Matthew Winchell, a legal expert with Tully Rinckey PLLC says it’s “out of character for someone who is a level one” sex offender.
A 30-year-old Sex Offender Registry
There are three levels on the registry for people convicted of sex crimes. One is considered the lowest risk of reoffending, and three is the highest.
While level two and three offenders are on the list for life, level one offenders have a 20-year commitment that falls off. It’s also nearly impossible to identify a level-one offender, as their names and photos are not public like level twos and threes. To learn if someone is a level-one offender, you need a combination of their name, current address, birthdate or social security number.
The “Sex Offender Registration Act Risk Assessment Instrument” is used to determine someone’s registration level, which is done by a point system based on the type of sex crime committed and other factors.
One law enforcement expert told the I-Team this case could have possibly prompt changes in how a sex offender’s status is evaluated.
