NORWOOD – A quick thinking local employee brought attention to a concerning incident near the Norwood Town Common on Monday afternoon, leading to a trespass order against a registered Level 2 sex offender.
On May 25, 2026, at approximately 1:34 PM, Norwood Police received a call from an employee at Daddy’s Dairy, located at 95 Central Street, who reported that a man—subsequently identified by authorities as Andrew Bethoney who is a registered Level 2 sex offender—was actively following a group of juvenile girls.
According to a Norwood Police report, Bethoney is a frequent customer at the popular ice cream shop. The employee told responding officers that he had raised red flags last week after allegedly making “creepy comments” toward a group of college-aged women inside the store.
While she suspected some of the girls in that previous group might have been underage, she did not contact police at the time because the man left the area shortly after.
However, Monday’s incident escalated her concerns because the girls were clearly minors.
While working behind the counter, police say the employee observed a group of young girls walking toward the Town Common. She says Bethoney allegedly followed closely behind and appeared to be recording the juveniles on his phone.
The group of young girls, visibly shaken, entered Daddy’s Dairy while officers were on the scene taking the report.
When questioned by police, the juveniles stated they were walking toward the Town Common when they noticed the man waving at them and holding his phone up as if filming them. According to the report, the girls believed the man said something to them, though they could not make out his words.
“The girls stated that when he started to walk over to them,” the officer noted in the report, “they went and found a young couple next to the Gazebo to stand next to,” police say.
After using the presence of the couple to distance themselves from Bethoney, police say the girls walked up Washington Street toward a local restaurant, where they called their parents. They reported that the subject stopped pursuing them once they reached the Gazebo.
While officers interviewed the victims and witnesses at Daddy’s Dairy, police say officers stopped Bethoney at the intersection of Washington Street and Railroad Avenue.
When questioned, police say Bethoney claimed he was simply walking through the Town Common looking for his father according to the police report. He denied photographing or recording the juveniles and presented his phone to officers as proof. Police say the device would not turn on and appeared to be held together by tape.
The store’s manager informed police that as a result of this and previous interactions with Bethoney, they wished to have the individual formally trespassed from the property. The suspect was officially served notice by officers that he is prohibited from Daddy’s Dairy.
While no criminal charges have been filed at the time of this article, the observant employee of Daddy’s Dairy should be commended for being aware and proactive to protect their patrons and staff.
The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB) is a state entity that is tasked with maintaining a list of offenders in any given area in the state. Their purpose is to promote public safety by informing the public of the location of these offenders to prevent further victimization. The SORB classifies convicted sex offenders according to their risk of re-offense and the degree of danger they pose.
There are eleven registered sex offenders in Norwood, most of which work within the town boundaries. To see the list for yourself visit SORB’s public database search by clicking the button below:
Names of witnesses and reporting parties were redacted by Norwood Police to protect their privacy. -RD
Sex offender registration information shall not be used to commit a crime against an offender or engage in illegal discrimination or harassment of an offender. Any person who uses sex offender registration information for such purpose shall be punished by not more than two and one-half (2 ½) years in a house of correction or by fine of not more than $1000.00 or both. M.G.L. c. 6, § 178N.
