Ex-cop assigned highest sex offender status

The Albany Times Union by BOB GARDINIER - June 18, 2008

TROY -- A former police and corrections officer was assigned the highest sex offender status this morning in county court for his conviction 10 years ago for raping an 11-year-old girl. Paul J. D'Adamo, formerly of Columbia Turnpike, admitted in August 1998 to attempted rape and rape in the case. The abuse continued for about a year, according to court documents. During his plea allocution, D'Adamo also admitted molesting a second girl, the sister of the first victim, as young as 10, but was never charged in that case, Judge Patrick McGrath said during the hearing this morning. D'Adamo was sentenced to 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison on the attempted-rape charge and 2 1/3 to 7 years on the rape count involving the 11-year-old. Three years later, D'Adamo unsuccessfully attempted to withdraw his plea, claiming he was depressed and on drugs when he agreed to it. McGrath held a required risk assessment hearing this morning in anticipation of D'Adamo's release from prison in August. The state Board of Sex Examiners suggested that he be assigned a level two status but McGrath noted that certain circumstances would require a level three status, the highest, which denotes a likelihood of repeat behavior. "He has shown a high proclivity for sex with young, pre-pubescent females,'' McGrath said.

McGrath also noted that D'Adamo has a long history of work in the criminal justice field that could give him inside knowledge of how to abuse the system to get close to young girls again. D'Adamo opted not to appear in court for the hearing, and his court-appointed attorney represented him. D'Adamo served in the military police with the Coast Guard and the U.S. Air Force, was a sheriff's deputy in Texas, a police officer in Maryland and worked for Burns Security. He was a Rensselaer County corrections officer for a time in 1994 and was a New York state corrections officer at the time of his arrest. After his release from prison, he must report as a level three sex offender, which will restrict where he is allowed to live.