Rhode Island Sex Offender Arrested for Rape on St. Patrick's Day
Posted on Mar 20, 2009 10:40am PDT
49 year old Joseph P. Tyler was recently placed under arrest for committing a sex crime in Providence, Rhode Island. According to news sources, Tyler has served time in jail in the past for first-degree
child molestation and was arrested by police after he was accused of
raping a man on St. Patrick's Day in Waterplace Park. Tyler was officially charged with first-degree sexual assault.
Providence Police say that a 25 year old man reported that he was assaulted in the park this past Tuesday between 6 and 7 PM. The young man met with police investigator, Theodore Michaels, at Rhode Island Hospital after the crime occurred. He told the investigator that he had been assaulted by a man he knew as "Jimmy" who resides at the Urban League Shelter. He then offered to give the investigator a phone number for "Jimmy". Instead, Michaels asked the victim to arrange to meet the suspect at Kennedy Plaza on Wednesday. The victim did not go to the meeting, rather investigator Michaels went in his place.
On Wednesday at approximately 2:40 PM, Michaels noticed Tyler approaching the hotel. He knew it was Tyler because the man had to register as a sex offender in the state database for his previous sexual offenses. When Michaels arrested Tyler, he saw that the victims phone number was listed the most recent call received in Tyler's cell phone. The victim later identified Tyler as his attacker during a photo lineup. Shortly after, Tyler was charged with a sexual offense.
In February of 1996, Tyler had pled no contest to his charge of first-degree child molestation. He was sentenced with 30 years, but only served 13.
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