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The Onondaga County District Attorney's office has filed over a dozen new charges against Ryan Pontello, a convicted sex offender from Clay. Authorities have identified a third victim, a three-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Pontello in January. These charges follow previous accusations of Pontello raping a three-year-old girl and a five-year-old girl.
According to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, Pontello, 33, was arrested on June 18 for the January incident. He faces multiple felony charges and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child. The charges include luring a child, sexual abuse, and creating child pornography. Investigators discovered five videos of Pontello abusing the latest victim on his phone.
Pontello was initially arrested on June 9 after allegedly luring a five-year-old girl from a playground in North Syracuse with candy. The girl managed to escape, and residents called 911. Pontello was charged with rape, sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child for that incident.
Syracuse.com reports that Pontello is a Level 1 sex offender, considered a "low risk of re-offense," from a previous incident in 2011. Despite this designation, the recent charges highlight ongoing concerns about his behavior.
The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office urge anyone with information regarding Pontello's actions to contact the Special Victims Unit at 315-435-3092. This is a developing story, and authorities continue to investigate.