Action News Troubleshooters Update: Minister Sex Offender Arrested
VALLEY TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A convicted sex offender who was the subject of an Action News Troubleshooters investigation is now facing charges.
Arthur Commeger is now awaiting a preliminary hearing.
Commeger was arrested this week on charges of failing to comply with Megan's Law, which is designed to enhance public safety.
Commeger was the subject of an Action News Troubleshooters investigation in November.
The Troubleshooters first started investigating the business he operates under the alias Minister Alif Allah and, in the process, uncovered he was falsely reporting his address.
Commeger claimed to live at a Philadelphia address but each time the Troubleshooters went to speak with him we found him time and time again at a house in Valley Township, Chester County.
"We know you are not living at the address you listed on the Megan's Law website," Action News reporter Nydia Han said to Commeger.
Megan's Law is designed to provide online information about sex offenders as a means of public protection.
We took our findings to Chief Brian Newhall of Valley Township, Chester County police.
"If he could be a predator, the children the people who live in that area could be at risk," Chief Newhall said.
Chief Newhall said he had no idea Commeger was in his jurisdiction until the Troubleshooters informed him.
Nydia Han asks, "You're charged with keeping the community safe. How can you keep the community safe if you don't even know that a convicted sex offender is living here?"
"It's very difficult to do, we can only fix the problems we're aware of," he replied.
He went on to say, "Obviously we don't want someone who's a registered offender out there where he shouldn't be. They need to comply with the law so that's something we want to handle as soon as possible."
Chief Brian Newhall was true to his word and arrested Commeger earlier this week.
But this incident exposes an alarming weakness in the system.
The Pennsylvania state police are in charge of maintaining the sex offender registry but the information is reported by the offenders themselves.
"Do you think the self-reporting aspect of the system needs to be reassessed?" Nydia Han asked.
"I do I believe it's flawed. It's going on the honor system. People on the registry need to be monitored more efficiently and more effectively to protect the public," Newhall replied.
