FAIRFIELD (KRON) — A sexual predator with a long criminal history is behind bars after making sexually motivated comments towards teenage boys.
It happened earlier this month in the small town of Fairfax, which is in Marin County.
The suspect in the case is known to be from the San Jose area, but he was apparently making inappropriate comments towards teenagers in Marin County.
The Fairfax Police Departments says 54-year-old Richard Thomas Williams, who is a “high risk” sex offender, made sexually suggestive comments to several teenage boys in Fairfax earlier this month.
According to police, Thomas offered the boys money and food to help him wash cars.
He also said several inappropriate things which prompted one of the boys to tell his parents about the encounter, and they went to police.
“Some suggestive statements and words were made by this person to the boys,” Fairfax Police Chief Christopher Morin said. “So, when the parent reported it to us, we started an investigation.”
Thomas, who was using an alias at the time, gave one of the teenagers his phone number and the two had exchanged text messages. When police began their investigation, they took over the texting conversation and, posing as one of the boys, agreed to meet up with Thomas at a movie theater.
“On the day the meeting was planned, we set up a surveillance operation,” Morin said.
When Thomas arrived, investigators followed him and were eventually able to identify who he really was. They also learned that Williams has a long criminal history and was in violation of his parole, police said.
Rather than spending time building a new case against him, Fairfax police decided to get him off the streets as quickly as possible.
“We didn’t want to risk leaving him out there in the community to victimize further children, anyone, in the Bay Area, including in Fairfax,” Morin said. “So, we contacted his parole agent because again he was on active parole, and we asked that he immediately have his parole violated and taken into custody so he can’t victimize anybody.”
Williams, who is considered to be a transient in the San Jose area, is currently being held in the Santa Clara County Jail.Williams is being held without bail while his case is being reviewed.
Williams is being held without bail while his case is being reviewed.