PD: convicted sex offender busted for kidnapping

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- A convicted sex offender from Hartford was arrested for kidnapping a teenage girl Wednesday, police said.

Police say it happened in the morning during the school rush in an apartment building on Gilette Street. A student on her way to school was grabbed and dragged into a laundry room and nearly sexually assaulted.

"This is the guy police have arrested, have you seen him around the building on your floor," asked News 8's Bob Wilson.

"I have seen him next door to my apartment, several times," said one woman.

This woman lives next door to the laundry room and doesn't want to use her identity but she says she has seen 37-year-old Shawn Jarrett on her floor hanging out by her door and by the laundry.

Police have arrested him with kidnapping and reckless endangerment after he allegedly grabbed a 17-year-old girl and tried to sexually assault her. Police say he has done this before, back in 1995.

"Did you know he is on the sex offender registry," asked News 8's Wilson.

"No I did not know that at all and I was totally feeling safe to pass him," said the woman.

A good samaritan who we are not going to identify looked through the laundry room window and that is when she saw this all going on. She said she threw open the door, yelled at him and tred to get him off the girl by the machine.

"Asked what happened, what are you doing? What are you doing and she called the cops, so you know, she is to be praised for this, you know, and I told her it was a very good act because it could have been any of us," said the woman.

This woman is moving out of the building at the end of the month and other neighbors News 8 talked to told us they are looking to move out as well.

"I was really distraught about the entire situation because we are women that are living actually next door to the laundry room and I am happy she did what she did, you know, I call her a hero," said the woman.