Norway Sex Offender arrested for failing to register

Photo:

Joseph Albert Ruest

NORWAY — Joseph Albert Ruest, 44, of Cottage Street in Norway was arrested on March 25 at 5:05 p.m. and charged with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

Detective Gary Hill said that the dates were uncertain, but it appears Ruest moved from Lewiston into an apartment on Cottage Street in January, and had also lived in Oxford.

Ruest was required to register as a sex offender as a result of a prior conviction for Gross Sexual Conduct in Auburn.

He also has one prior conviction for failing to register, which makes his newest charge a Class C Felony punishable by up to five years in prison. According to Maine Statutes, a first conviction for failing to register is a Class D misdemeanor, a second is a Class C felony, and all others following are Class B felonies.

Ruest is currently being held at Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn. Bail has been set at $300 cash or a Maine Pretrial Services Contract. Officials at the jail say a Pretrial Services Contract allows the person to leave jail until trial, so long as they abide by rules agreed upon by the judge and prosecuting attorney.