Joseph D. Risher's next door neighbor knew Mr. Risher didn't have any kids, so when he noticed young boys coming and going from Mr. Risher's Jeannette apartment, the neighbor became suspicious.

On the state Megan's Law Web site, the neighbor's suspicions were confirmed. Mr. Risher is a registered sex offender who was supposed to be living in Hempfield with his mother, not on Wylie Avenue in Jeannette.

Mr. Risher, 54, now resides in Westmoreland County Prison, charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy.

It's his second time being incarcerated, the first time coming after he pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse from a 1992 incident. Under Megan's Law, he had to register his residence and workplace with the state.

According to Jeannette police Chief Jeffrey Stahl, police received a tip from the neighbor Sunday night. Officers went to Mr. Risher's apartment, where they found two 12-year-old boys who referred to Mr. Risher as "Uncle Joe," even though they had no relation to him.

The next day, one boy told investigators that Mr. Risher had paid him to allow Mr. Risher to perform oral sex on the boy three different times. The boys also said Mr. Risher had given them whiskey and they had smoked cigarettes and marijuana with him. The boys had been riding their bikes to Mr. Risher's apartment for two to three weeks.

Monday night, found Mr. Risher at his mother's house and arrested him. He later confessed to performing oral sex on the 12-year-old on three occasions, Chief Stahl said.

Mr. Risher had been living in the Wylie Avenue apartment since July, even though he had told state police in December that he still lived in Hempfield.

He is in jail in lieu of $100,000 bond and will have a preliminary hearing before District Judge Joseph DeMarchis in Jeannette Thursday.

Chief Stahl said Mr. Risher worked at DeNunzio's Italian Restaurant in Jeannette and had no run-ins with his officers until this week.

"We have not received any other complaints or allegations," Chief Stahl said. "Lord, I hope there's no more."