Police: Sex offender poses as inspector at state fair

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina say a man listed on the sex-offender registry since 2006 was arrested at the State Fair, where they say he posed as an inspector to get into an area reserved for children’s rides.

Multiple media outlets reported that 64-year-old Tyrone Francie Szabo of Franklinton is charged with being a sex offender on the premises of a place intended for children to use, and with impersonating a public officer.

An arrest warrant said Szabo wore khaki-colored clothing like the military-style apparel sometimes worn by police and other officials. They said he wore black work boots and carried a flashlight and pepper spray.

Szabo, who was arrested Tuesday, appeared in court Wednesday. He is jailed under a $250,000 bond. Jail records don’t say if he has an attorney.

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