A Charleston man was arrested Thursday and charged with stalking and harassment after allegedly making what police described as sexual comments toward a 13-year-old girl on the city's West Side.
Russell Aldon Ray, 73, of Garden Street, was arraigned Thursday in Kanawha Magistrate Court by Magistrate Joe Shelton. Ray, a registered convicted sex offender, was released on a personal recognizance bond.
Ray, who police described as a longtime city refuse worker, allegedly has been repeatedly following, harassing and making lewd or sexual comments toward a 13-year-old girl while she walked past his Garden Street home, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha Magistrate Court.
Ray asked the girl if she wanted him to be her "sugar daddy," and offered her candy, money and asked for her phone number, the complaint states. Ray is accused of repeatedly making sexual comments toward the girl "as if he was trying to flirt with her" as he followed her while she walked home, according to the complaint.
The girl's mother told police she saw Ray following her daughter and a 13-year-old friend of her daughter while they were walking or running down the street.
The woman said she saw Ray at about 5:30 p.m. on April 17 standing on the corner on Garvin Street watching the two girls run up and down the street as they played and practiced for track, according to the complaint.
Ray's alleged behavior has placed the girl in fear for her safety and has caused her to suffer significant emotional distress, the complaint states.
Ray previously was convicted of second degree sexual assault in 1983 and served five years in a correctional facility, according to the State Police website.
The victim in that case was an adult female acquaintance.