SEX OFFENDER CLOWN BUSTED AFTER CHRISTMAS PARADE

Norman Edward Rose, a convicted child sex offender, was arrested after complaints that he dressed up as a clown and inappropriately touched several young girls at a Christmas parade.  Rose, who will turn 64 on Sunday, was not invited to the weekend march on December 2 but allegedly donned a familiar disguise and joined in anyway.  People at the parade alerted patrol officers that a clown riding a scooter was touching children inappropriately, they told him to stop what he was doing and leave the parade.  According to APBnews.com, police received further complaints on December 4 from people who also had allegedly witnessed Rose touching other girls at the parade.  Officials learned that he was a registered sex offender barred from contact with anyone under 18 and his probation office was notified.  The suspect was arrested at his delivery job on Wednesday and is being held without bond until a judge hears his case.  Rose was convicted in September of 1995 on two counts of lewd and lascivious contact with children under 16 and was sentenced to five years in prison and nine years of supervised probation, the terms of which were to run consecutively.  He is married and has three young grandchildren, plays steel guitar in local clubs and is also know by the aliases Klumpy the Clown and Papa Rose.

(Holly Hill, Florida)