This happened in Norwood. Coincedence? I don't think so.

A 68-year-old registered sex offender living in a nursing home has been charged with sexually assaulting his 90-year-old male roommate, police and court records show.

The case has led to a state investigation to determine whether the nursing home in suburban Norwood took proper precautions to protect the 90-year-old and other residents, The Boston Globe reported yesterday. No state regulations specifically address sex offenders living in nursing homes.

Norwood police arrested John A. Enos on Tuesday at the Emerald Court Health & Rehabilitation Center. He was being held on $10,000 bail.

Police statements filed at Dedham District Court following Enos' arraignment Tuesday say a nurse interrupted him sexually assaulting his roommate Sunday. Enos pleaded innocent to rape.

Enos had been convicted in the late 1980s of sex crimes against children, making him one of four level 3 offenders living in Massachusetts nursing homes, according to an advocacy group called A Perfect Cause. A fifth offender working in the kitchen of another nursing home also is a level 3 offender, the status given to those considered most likely to commit another sex crime.

Administrators at the nursing home in Norwood said they knew of Enos' sex offender status. They declined to say Wednesday what precautions they took to protect residents, the Globe said.

Norwood police posted fliers with Enos' picture in the police station, in schools, and around the neighborhood - as required by state law - but not in the nursing home.

Amy Knapp, a spokeswoman for Beverly Healthcare, the national chain that owns Emerald Court, said the nursing home did not inform residents because "we were following the guidelines and direction from the state," which she said had cautioned the nursing home to respect Enos' privacy.


(Published: February 11, 2005)