RIVERSIDE, Calif. – When flyers appeared at Riverside City College on April Fool’s Day saying the student body president was a sex offender, students were stunned by the cruel prank. They were even more stunned when they learned it was true.
“I was flabbergasted,” said Amanda Waring, a theater arts major who works for the school newspaper. “At first people thought it was a joke.”
___ ___ ___, 40, who was elected to a one-year term as student body president in May, pleaded guilty in 2005 to kidnapping and lewd and lascivious acts with a boy under 14, the Riverside Press Enterprise reported. His five-year prison term was immediately suspended and he’s serving 10 years’ probation. Full Article
Dear Fox News,
And your point is???????…
What a stupid, lame, asinine article…no surprise coming from Fox News! This isn’t even news. This guy is trying to rebuild his life and become a tax-paying and contributing member of society. What the hell purpose is smearing his name around going to serve??? It’s not like he’s teaching at a pre-school. He’s at an ADULT school and president of a student body of ADULTS! He did everything he was supposed to do regarding registration. He’s not being accused of a new offense. This kind of reckless journalism really ticks me off!!!!
Well, lets be real. I can completely understand how people might feel about finding out about this individuals background? Kidnapping is serious business? Truly. Furthermore, you have to take into account how society or the government has sought to portray sex offenders (bad, bad people). ALthough, the reality of this is that he is doing everything right. He is attending college, registered with the college police, working really hard to move forward with his life and he also is making a difference with his life? What does society want him to do? When my issue occurred, I had two choices to make. I could sit home and feel sorry for myself? Or, I could turn this negative into a positive. I went back to school, attended a well known University and obtained an MBA? Then, I went back to court and had the charge reduced to a misdemeanor and eventually expunged? Now, what does society want this individual to do? Fail? Commit a new crime? Live in poverty? Its really sad to see a news crew create havoc for this student. He is doing everything possible to right is wrong? Leave the guy alone!
I have to agree with USA, that kidnapping is a serious crime, especially when the victim is a kid. But given the fact that his prison sentence was suspended and he was given 10 years probation says to me that a single sentence, (kidnapping and lewd and lascivious acts with a boy under 14) doesn’t tell us what really happened.
It doesn’t matter to me what happened in 2005, Mr. Figueroa is still free, so that tells me he has been doing everything right for the last 8 years, which, for anyone that was on probation as a sex offender knows, is not easy to do. I only had to do it for 3 years, and my life was very stable.
Mr. Figueroa sounds like a real go getter, someone in his area should try to make contact with him and get him on board with RSOL.
Good for Mr. Figueroa. He should be allowed to live his life free of any stigma. The fact that he’s a RSO only increases my respect for his achievements.
I’ll bet he gets a lot of wet-sport on campus.
Nothing like being a “Registered SEX Offender” to fascinate the innocent.
(What a stupid, useless, ….oh what the hell..)
It’s inspiring to watch Mr. Figueroa stay focused and not let the personal attacks on his character dissuade his goals for the programs he has created for the benefit of these students. Despite the bad publicity he received with the degrading banners posted around campus he has chosen to run for a second term as president. I wish him well.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130417-riverside-rcc-student-president-a-sex-offender-seeks-re-election.ece
We should all applaud Mr. Figueroa !!! Great job, keep your head focused and be true to yourself. His past is beteeen him and his GOD. None of our business,really. He did his time and is not violating any laws….soooooo, whsts the problem ?
@Anthony: They’re titillated and just love to dabble at the shallow-end of the pool. What just slays me is that if you are an RSO and compliant, you are being a responsible citizen and the police harass you until you have to leave town.
If you are an RSO on Megan’s List and your local busybody actually knows your full name, has the time available to actually research you, starts belly-aching to all your friends and neighbors and raises such a stink that you are obliged to leave town.
That Mr. Figueroa(40) got himself elected as “Student Body President” (ROFL) is priceless. What other forty-year-old has ever pulled a stunt like this, RSO or not?!
Now chimes-in the chancellor, or whatever, of Riverside Community College to the effect that since this “student” is an RSO, he’s not qualified to hold a leadership position. Again ROFL.. Hell, they ought to make Mr. Figueroa(40) chairman of the Political Science Department!
(I’d like that T-Shirt now, please.)