PD: Sex Offender Charged With Lewd Act in Front of Teen

A convicted sex offender is behind bars Wednesday after allegedly performing a lewd act and exposing himself to a teen girl on a city bus.

On Sept. 18 at 8:33 p.m., police were called to the home ofa 14-year-old girl who said Joseph Mabery, 49, of Washington Street, did a lewd act in front of her on a Middletown Area Transit bus.

The report says his actions were recorded by a videotape on the bus and Mabery is a felon with 28 convictions, including sexual assault and other violent crimes.

The juvenile said she was on the bus going home with Mabery seated across from her and he committed several lewd acts which made the girl afraid, the report says.

Police say the sex offender registry indicated his address was on Erin Street, but once there, they were told by Mabery's brother he moved out three weeks before because he was "not acting right" and "embarrassing the family."

The report says he was found at his cousin's house on Washington Street and physically resisted arrest.

Mabery was charged with risk of injury to a child, interfering with an officer, breach of peace, public indecency, failure to register as a sexually violent offender.