Convicted child predator worked with NJ rec department for a year

CLIFTON — A man who worked for the city recreation department is behind bars after he was found to be a convicted sex offender from Virginia.

Nathaniel Lewis, 37, was arrested on Sept. 12 after local law enforcement learned about his prior conviction, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes. Not only had Lewis not alerted New Jersey officials to his 2009 conviction for taking indecent liberties with children under the age of 15, he had also not told Virginia authorities that he had left the state, the prosecutor's office said.

Lewis' New Jersey address is listed as being in East Orange, according to Valdes. The Daily Voice reported Lewis worked as a facilities coordinator for the recreation department for around a year.

Virginia court records show Lewis' guilty plea stemmed from an incident in 2006. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and was to be subject to 20 years of supervised probation after his release. He was cited for a probation violation in September of last year, at which point a warrant was issued for his arrest, court records show.

Following his arrest, Lewis was charged with one count of third-degree failure to register as a sex offender, and one count of third-degree unlawfully participating in a Youth Serving organization. If convicted both charges carry a maximum of five years in prison.

Lewis is scheduled for a detention hearing on Tuesday morning.