12-21-2007 New York:
NEWBURGH — The Salvation Army has fired a Level 2 sex offender who was ringing a bell for the kettle drive at Wal-Mart in the town of Newburgh.
Capt. James Brennan said he fired the man Monday after learning the man was a sex offender.
"He admitted it and said he was sorry," said Maj. John Hodgson, who works in the Manhattan office.
The sex offender is John Jones, 46, who lives in the City of Newburgh, according to his profile on the state's sex offender web site.
Jones was convicted in December 1997 of first-degree sexual abuse of a Port Jervis woman. He was sentenced to 30 months to five years in state prison.
Brennan said Jones was hired the second week in November as a bell-ringer at $8 an hour.
The Salvation Army did not have a full background check done on Jones because bell-ringers are only employed for a short period of time. That might change. The hiring will start much earlier to allow time for lengthy background checks, Hodgson said.
Members of a sex abuse and sex offender watchdog group spotted Jones ringing the bell for the kettle drive outside the Wal-Mart on Route 300 and alerted Brennan. Jones saw the handwriting on the wall. He could not be reached for comment.
"He just left. He knew he was not going to continue working," Brennan said.
Up to that point, no one had complained about Jones. In fact, Brennan said, "We had received a couple of positive reports. He was actually bringing some Christmas cheer."
The Salvation Army does not hire sex offenders, but it does work with them, Hodgson said.
"This doesn't disqualify Mr. Jones from any services we offer," Brennan said. "We offer these to everyone." ..more.. by Paul Brooks, Times Herald-Record
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