Sex offender found living in woods behind elementary school, Massachusetts cops say

An unregistered sex offender was found living in the woods behind an elementary school in Massachusetts, police say.

Robert Magrath, 47, resided in an encampment near Potter Elementary School in Dartmouth, according to a Dartmouth police news release.

Now Magrath faces a charge of failing to register as a level 3 sex offender, authorities say. He was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 11.

An “extended investigation” involving the department’s detective division revealed his whereabouts behind the school, according to police.

Dartmouth Public Schools told News 12 that a parent informed the elementary school’s principal about the encampment in the woods, according to the outlet.

In 2018, Magrath was charged with indecent assault and battery in connection with a child younger than 14, the outlet reported.

Dartmouth is roughly 60 miles south of Boston.

This story was originally published August 12, 2022 at 5:41 AM with the headline "Sex offender found living in woods behind elementary school, Massachusetts cops say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.