Troy police locate missing Level 3 sex offender
TROY – Police tracked down 47-year-old William Goodman in Colonie with the help of the public.
Last week, Troy police asked the public for help in finding him.
As a Level 3 sex offender, he must regularly register. Police say he wasn’t where he’s supposed to be living on 4th Street in Troy.
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“Subsequent to that, there were other notifications that came our way that he was missing other obligations that he’s supposed to fulfill on the registry and he wasn’t meeting any of them,” said Troy Police Detective Sergeant Ralph Southworth.
Level 3 is the most serious level, for those considered to be at the highest risk of re-offending.
Goodman served a long stint in prison for a 1992 conviction. NewsChannel 13 reported he violently abducted a woman from a Troy hospital parking lot and repeatedly raped her.
William Goodman (File)
About a month after his release in 2017, police say he attacked a young mother who was out on Peebles Island with her children.
In that short period of freedom, police said at the time that he also failed to let them know about his Facebook accounts, some of which were under fake names.
In tracking down Goodman this week, police say they got help from the public.
“Once we put out the media release, the responses were immediate about his whereabouts. That was the initial tip-off, that he was in Latham – and after that, we followed up and were able to take him into custody,” said Det. Sgt. Southworth.
Police say they found and arrested Goodman Monday at the Sycamore Motel on Route 9 in Latham.
Investigators would like to thank the public for their help.
“It’s just indicative that the relationship between the police department and the public is paramount,” said Southworth. “It’s super important that we have a positive working relationship with each other because we have limited resources and limited eyes, so while it’s our obligation to keep you guys safe, without you, we’re only going to be able to do so much.”
Goodman is facing elevated felony charges for failing to register, because police say he had been convicted of that before.
Police say in Troy City Court, Judge Christopher Maier sent Goodman to the Rensselaer County Jail without bail.