Bogus Fliers Accuse Man of Molestation

It’s exactly what opponents of Megan’s Law feared would happen: Someone slipped official-looking but bogus fliers into neighborhood mailboxes in Newark falsely accusing a high school guidance counselor of being a child sex offender. Prosecutors were searching for the culprit and immediately sent out letters informing residents of the hoax, the first of its kind since Megan’s Law took effect in 1995. Some neighbors recognized the fliers as fake and called police. The counselor, Arthur Goldsworthy, 63, has worked at Bridgewater-Raritan High School since 1959. Prosecutors say his record is clean. Megan’s law requires that released sex offenders register with local police and that community organizations and neighbors be notified when an offender is deemed to pose a risk of recidivism.