Editor's note (March 14, 2012): New York State updated its records after this story was published. The sex offender mentioned below is now listed as living on Carolan Road E in Carmel.
The fallout of a sex-abuse conviction is still unfolding for one of the four registered sex offenders living in Southeast.
That news was just highlighted in an article written by Terence Corcoran in the Journal News.
He reports that Mario J. Caruso, Jr., 61, has surrendered his pharmacist's license following a 2009 arrest.
According to New York State records, Caruso—who is categorized as a level 3, "sexually violent" offender—resides at a motel in Southeast.
Mary Cay Nilsen, vice president of Brewster's Intermediate/Middle School PTA, said she was not very familiar with the specifics surrounding Caruso, but that in general, she is not too worried about known, local offenders.
"I'm sure there is some concern, but, personally I don't have any," Nilsen said. "We're aware of the offenders, I've made my children aware, we've taken whatever necessary precautions that are needed, and we move on with our lives. I'm more concerned about the offenders we don't know about, or the burglars we don't know about, or the drunk drivers we don't know about ... We need to be cautious, but we cannot live in fear."
Cari Kimberley, who serves as PTA president, said parents should talk to kids about offenders in an age-appropriate manner. She referenced the recent scandals at Penn State and Syracuse University, and stressed the importance of reacting if a child says that something has made them uncomfortable, because "sometimes, the authorities look the other way."
"...Who in the right mind wants a predator living in their neighborhood? Anybody with a child knows this fear," she said. "Nonetheless, if recent headlines have taught us anything, the truly awful predators — intelligent and skilled criminals — often have positions of great trust in our communities with unprecedented access to children. The bogey man who jumps out at your kid from behind the bush is a rare predator."
