A convicted pedophile whose background was apparently unknown to school officials addressed kindergartners to fifth-graders at a Veterans Day program at a township school earlier this week.
William R. Egerton, 66, convicted in 1990 of sexual assault for fondling four girls ages 10 to 15 in his home while he was serving as a Freehold Borough police officer, was one of five members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4374 presenting the program to an estimated 600 students at Joseph J. Catena Elementary School Tuesday.
Egerton, who lives in Monroe, is listed as a "Tier 2/Moderate" sex offender on the State Police's New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry, a Web site.
Superintendent of Schools Catherine Snyder and Catena School Principal Neal Dickstein said they were unaware of Egerton's background until a reporter called them Thursday.
"I'm honestly shocked," Dickstein said. "When you call an organization such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, this is the last thing to expect."
"There was no way, from my perspective, we would know this person is a sex offender," said Snyder, who said the VFW originally had contacted the district about making a presentation. "We invited the VFW, we didn't invite (a) sex offender into our school."
"Oh, my God," Vince Diomede said Thursday night. He organizes outside activities for the VFW post. "We're not proud of this fact. This has really upset me."
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051118/NEWS/511180378
William R. Egerton, 66, convicted in 1990 of sexual assault for fondling four girls ages 10 to 15 in his home while he was serving as a Freehold Borough police officer, was one of five members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4374 presenting the program to an estimated 600 students at Joseph J. Catena Elementary School Tuesday.
Egerton, who lives in Monroe, is listed as a "Tier 2/Moderate" sex offender on the State Police's New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry, a Web site.
Superintendent of Schools Catherine Snyder and Catena School Principal Neal Dickstein said they were unaware of Egerton's background until a reporter called them Thursday.
"I'm honestly shocked," Dickstein said. "When you call an organization such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, this is the last thing to expect."
"There was no way, from my perspective, we would know this person is a sex offender," said Snyder, who said the VFW originally had contacted the district about making a presentation. "We invited the VFW, we didn't invite (a) sex offender into our school."
"Oh, my God," Vince Diomede said Thursday night. He organizes outside activities for the VFW post. "We're not proud of this fact. This has really upset me."
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051118/NEWS/511180378
