BELMONT, Mass. (WHDH) — Carl Peterson, a level three sex offender living in Belmont, spoke out at a public meeting about sex offenders and received a mixed reaction from the crowd.
“Thought he had guts just to show himself because you never know,” one woman said.
“I kind of wish I was there to hear everything,” said Stacey Shorr.
Peterson was convicted in 2000 of raping a child under the age of 14.
When Peterson moved to Belmont from Lexington back in July, he notified police. The sex offender registry was updated with his new address, but police received enough calls from concerned parents that they scheduled a meeting to discuss things.
According to the Belmont Patch, Peterson said, “I am the level three sex offender all of you have been talking about. You are afraid of me and I hate that. If you have serious questions, talk to me."
“Being a parent myself it didn't comfort me,” Shorr said.
Police say Peterson wasn't specifically invited to speak at the meeting but were told he might. The Patch reports that Peterson moved to Belmont with his wife and their teenage daughter.