Weymouth sex offender arrested in Boston

BOSTON — A convicted child rapist was arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant Friday in Boston.

U.S. Marshals from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, along with the Boston Police, arrested Richard Gardner, a convicted child rapist and a registered sex offender.

"It's my understanding it's a probation violation out of Rhode Island," U.S. Marshals from Boston explained to FOX25 News.

Richard Gardner was released from prison at the beginning of October, after serving a prison sentenced that began in the early 1990s for sexually assaulting and kidnapping children.

He was originally sentenced to 190 years in prison in Rhode Island, but the conviction was reversed and he pleaded guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence.

Gardner's return to society has put neighbors on edge and the mother of one of his victims told FOX25 as long as he is free, "nobody's children are safe."

The Plymouth District Attorney told FOX25 there was "human error" when reviewing his case that prevented a judge from keeping Gardner in custody after his sentence. There is an option to civilly commit sexually dangerous people when their prison sentence ends.

In a statement, the Plymouth County DA said that the move to not civilly commit Gardner was the result of human error.

Over the weekend, Gardner was arrested in Quincy for allegedly going to a public library, which is a violation of his sex offender status.

Gardner is due in court Monday.

>>RELATED: DA admits 'human error' on release of child rapist

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