By Rebecca Goldfine,Staff Writer

NORWAY – Police are notifying neighbors on Pike Hill Road that a registered sex offender convicted of raping a young girl has moved into town.

George F. Palmer Sr., 45, was convicted 12 years ago in Portland of gross sexual assault and sentenced to 12 years in prison, with six years suspended, according to Maine’s sex offender registry.

“I would say to have a sex offender of this magnitude, yes it is unusual” for Norway, Police Chief Rob Federico said Tuesday.

There are six other registered sex offenders living in Norway.

Police are not obligated to notify neighbors of registered sex offenders. “It depends on the situation,” Federico said.

Palmer has been living in Paris since he registered in 2003, according to the state. He moved into an apartment in Norway last week. Neighbors within a quarter-mile radius of Palmer’s residence will be alerted, the chief said.

Federico said Palmer was originally charged with five different sex offenses involving a girl who was 5 years old when the abuse began and 11 when Palmer was convicted.

When someone on the registry moves, he or she is obligated by law to notify local police within 24 hours and the state within five days. The sex-offender registry has not yet updated Palmer’s information, but will do so within three days of receiving notification, according to a registry spokesman.

“I don’t have any desire to have them not go on with their lives,” Federico said of convicted sex offenders. “I just have to weigh that with the greater good of the population.”

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