By Scott Sieber
Police identified the man as Timothy Felton, 31, who lives at 111-17 131st St. in South Ozone Park.Officer Daniel Deviccaro of the 115th Precinct observed a black man, at the intersection of 119th Street and Poppenhusen Avenue at 4 p.m. attempting to take the young girl into the woods.The man fled into the park when confronted by the officer, who then alerted police and gave chase, according to Officer Jennara Everleth, a police spokeswoman. She said the officer discovered the man hiding shortly thereafter.Upon further investigation, the man revealed that he had visited the area the day before and sexually assaulted two boys, ages 11 and 13, in the bathroom of the park, Everleth said.Charges are pending and an investigation into the matter was continuing.”Police officer Daniel Deviccaro's alert actions prevented an egregious attack and exemplified police work at its finest,” said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly in a statement.Felton was arrested in July 1993 for robbery in the first degree, a crime that carried a sentence of 7 to 14 years, according to the New York State Department of Correctional Servcies Web site. He was released on parole on Feb. 18 of this year.The arrest is the most recent in a string of sex crimes against juveniles and young adults to occur throughout the borough. On Saturday, a Forest Hills school safety agent, Melvin Whitaker, 43, was charged with touching a male student inappropriately on four separate occasions at P-4 Secondary School.In another school-related incident, the Department of Education is investigating a former Queens teacher suspected of having sex with two female students at both August Martin and Richmond Hill high schools.At Cardozo High School, a social studies teacher received a six-month prison sentence for having illicit e-mail conversations with a 14-year-old boy last summer.Reach reporter Scott Sieber by e-mail at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
