Homeless man who was helped by lottery winner is arrested

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – A Massachusetts homeless man who was helped by a stranger who won a $200 lottery prize has been arrested on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender.

New Bedford police tell The Standard-Times that 59-year-old Glenn Williams was arrested Thursday.

Single mother Sofia Andrade picked up Williams on Sunday and used her lottery winnings to pay for him to stay in a motel on one of the coldest nights of the year.

Detective Capt. Steven Vicente says Williams is a Level II sex offender. He was charged in 1994 with indecent assault on a child under 14.

Williams said in a statement that the assault allegation was a lie, but his public defender recommended he take a plea bargain. He says the accusation ruined his life.