Sex offender Scott A. Gagnon busted in Ipswich and Haverhill

A convicted sex offender who spent 27 years behind bars is facing new charges of trying to assault a woman jogging along a Plum Island beach.

Scott Gagnon of Tewksbury was arrested Monday by Ipswich police and charged with assault with intent to commit rape. The 51-year-old Gagnon pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Tuesday and was held pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Thursday.

His lawyer did not comment.

Gagnon is a Level 3 sex offender, considered the most likely to re-offend. He was convicted in 1980 of rape, assault with intent to commit rape, and rape of a child with force.

In April 2008, he sued a McDonald's restaurant and a Tewksbury woman after he was fired. The woman told the restaurant about his past.