Registered sex offender arrested in New Hartford home invasion

NEW HARTFORD — A 63-year-old registered sex offender was arrested Wednesday after allegedly entering a residence and standing in a bedroom while occupants slept.

The New Hartford Police Department responded to a trespassing complaint on Middle Settlement Road at approximately 11:30 a.m.

Officers spoke with the homeowner and a female relative who also lives at the residence.

The woman told police she was sleeping in a bedroom when she awoke to find an unknown male standing inside the room.

The male fled the residence when the woman woke up and later left the area on a bicycle, police said.

Officers conducted an area search but did not locate the suspect at that time.

Police distributed information about the suspect to officers in the area and the incoming afternoon shift.

At approximately 5:00 p.m., a New Hartford police officer on patrol along Seneca Turnpike observed a male believed to be the suspect.

The officer stopped the man to investigate his identity and determine if he was responsible for the earlier incident.

Police gathered enough information to establish probable cause that the man was the same person who unlawfully entered the residence.

The suspect was identified as Richard Seymour, 63, a Level 3 registered sex offender designated as a sexually violent offender.

Seymour is currently under supervision of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision – Division of State Parole.

Seymour was charged with one count of criminal trespass in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor.

He also faces a parole warrant issued by New York State Parole for violation of parole conditions.

Seymour was transported to the New Hartford Police Department and processed on the charges.

He was then taken to the Oneida County Centralized Arraignment Part Court where he was arraigned.

Seymour is being held at this time.