Local sex offender accused of playing Pokemon with teen

0
1601

GREENFIELD — A registered sex offender was arrested Wednesday after a probation officer spotted him playing Pokemon Go with children on the county courthouse lawn — a violation of the terms of the plea agreement he took three months ago in a child molest case.

Randy Zuick, 42, of Greenfield, was booked into the Hancock County Jail on Wednesday afternoon after Nick Layman, a county probation officer, saw him playing the popular cellphone app with a 16-year-old boy, officials said.

The county courthouse — where the probation department is housed — is one of dozens of local sites highlighted in the game and has been drawing players to the area since the game’s release last week.

Mary Kay Dobbs, another probation officer who was walking with Layman, ran into the courthouse to alert Gary Harris, a court security officer, who took Zuick into custody, said Wayne Addison, chief probation officer.

In April, Zuick pleaded guilty to a Level 4 felony charge of child molesting for fondling a child under 14 and remains on sex-offender probation, which prohibits him from interacting with children, court records show.

Addison said the arrest serves as a warning of the threat even a smartphone game can pose.

Zuick will likely face a judge tomorrow, who will decide whether to revoke his probation and send him back to jail.