Mass. sex offender charged in assault on 9-year-old in Plaistow, N.H.

By Lauren Dezenski, Globe Correspondent

A Level 3 sex offender from Massachusetts has been arrested after he allegedly sexually assaulted a minor in a New Hampshire Walmart this weekend, Plaistow police said.

Ronald R. Beausoleil of Haverhill was arrested Monday night after Plaistow police patrolling the parking lot outside the store where the reported assault took place Sunday, observed a car matching a description of the suspect’s car, Plaistow police said in a statement. After officers discovered Beausoleil in his car, he was identified as the suspect and arrested.

In Massachusetts, Beausoleil has two prior criminal offenses. He was convicted of indecent assault and battery on a child younger than 14 years old in June 1999 and attempted open and gross lewdness in April of 2007, according to the state Sex Offender Registry Board.

The Level 3 status from the board means the individual has been deemed a high risk to reoffend and poses a substantial risk to the public.

Beausoleil pleaded not guilty at an arraignment this morning at Plaistow District Court. The judge set his bail at $25,000.

Plaistow police received a report Sunday that a 9-year-old child was sexually assaulted while in the toy aisle at the Walmart at 58 Plaistow Road. The victim had briefly been separated from a parent when a male stranger approached and touched the victim inappropriately before fleeing the store, police said.

After the assault, the victim reported what happened to a member of store management, police said, and was treated by medical personnel as a precaution, though no physical injury was reported.

Police released photographs of the suspect taken from store surveillance cameras to the media. The photos included pictures of a Chevrolet pickup truck with Massachusetts registration. That was the truck police spotted in the parking lot Monday night that led to Beausoleil’s arrest.