Robert Andre Bouthot is classified as a “sexually violent predator.”

PORTLAND (AP) – A convicted sex offender was arrested after police discovered him selling ice cream to children from a Good Humor truck outside an elementary school.

Robert Andre Bouthot, 34, is classified by Biddeford police as a “sexually violent predator” because of a 1999 assault on a 13-year-old girl. He served six months in jail and is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with children under 16 as a condition of his probation.

Bouthot’s probation officer reported him missing Sunday and alerted Portland police that he may be working for A.G. Ice Cream, which has 21 trucks in Maine. Police a short time later found him selling ice cream outside the Reiche School, which was not open, in the city’s West End.

Bouthot is being held at the Cumberland County Jail, and faces the prospect of serving the remaining 31/2 years of his original sentence for the 1999 offense.

JoAnne Fisk, the Biddeford police spokeswoman, said the arrest points up the value of keeping sex offender registries, which identify for law enforcement officials and the public individuals who may pose a public safety risk.

“I’m thankful this guy is off the streets,” Fisk said.

Bouthot had been driving the ice cream truck for just 10 days. Jerry Sterritt, regional manager for A.G. Ice Cream, said Bouthot did not disclose his previous criminal conviction when he applied for the job.

“I’m researching right now how to go about doing a criminal background check,” Sterritt said, “and I plan to adapt that to my hiring process immediately.”

Bouthot did not resist when arrested, but he seemed confused, said Portland Deputy Police Chief Bill Ridge.

“He really didn’t understand what the problem was,” Ridge said.

AP-ES-04-23-03 0216EDT