In saner times, what Josh Gravens did would be called “playing doctor” or “adolescent curiosity.” General embarrassment and a stern talking-to would have followed. And that would have been the end of it. But in this age of hysteria, the childhood misdeed will never end for Josh. And now the city of Dallas considers making it worse by declaring a great majority of the city off limits for him to live. By extension, that would mean his wife and five children, too. Full Opinion Piece From the same author: Kids are…
Read MoreYear: 2014
WA: Sex offenders arrested in Pasco’s Peanuts Park say they didn’t know it is a park
Two high-risk sex offenders stopped in downtown Pasco’s Peanuts Park on the same day claimed they didn’t know the one-acre concrete plaza is a designated city park. Full Article Photo View of Peanuts Park
Read MoreCongress Proposes to Fix Restitution for Child Pornography Victims
Faced with a draconian decision by the United States Supreme Court in late April which all but eliminated meaningful restitution for child pornography victims, U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) spearheaded a comprehensive legislative fix (S. 2301) which addresses the concerns outlined by the Court in United States v. Paroline. The Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act of 2014 was introduced exactly two weeks after the Supreme Court’s decision. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Officers bend rules to boost sex sting arrest totals
POLK COUNTY, Florida – In the decade since Chris Hansen and “To Catch a Predator” popularized Internet sex stings, more than 1,200 men in Florida alone have been arrested, accused of preying on underage teens and children for sex. But as the stings put more and more men behind bars, detectives are working harder and harder to keep up their arrest numbers. And the tactics they’re using to put alleged sexual offenders in jail are sweeping up large numbers of law-abiding men, too. Full Article
Read MoreCity of Carson Fails to Repeal or Revise Ordinance [updated with CC Video]
The Carson City Council failed to repeal or revise its sex offender ordinance during its meeting on August 5 despite recommendations to do so from both the City Manager and City Attorney. According to a staff report dated August 5, the City’s ordinance is inconsistent with state law due to presence restrictions which limit where registered citizens may visit. The City’s ordinance also includes residency restrictions which limit where registered citizens may live. Residency restrictions are currently under review by the California Supreme Court. “The City of Carson acted unwisely…
Read MoreWI: De Pere, Allouez take different paths on sex offenders
One issue, but two outcomes. Elected leaders in two Green Bay area communities Tuesday night took distinctively different positions on where convicted sex offenders can live. Major restrictions are now official in Allouez, but just to the south in De Pere leaders turned down a proposed rule on the same issue. While leaders in both communities have different views on the issue, they agree the state should set a common standard. Full Article Related http://www.wbay.com/story/26207456/2014/08/05/update-communities-differ-on-sex-offender-ordinances http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/2014/08/06/de-pere-rejects-sex-offender-residency-ordinance/13660239/ http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/2014/08/05/allouez-moves-block-sex-offenders/13652389/
Read MoreNY: New Law – Sex Offenders Need Not Apply
A new law prohibiting anyone with previous sex offense convictions from becoming a volunteer firefighter is an important advancement, but will not drastically change the firefighter vetting process, several area fire chiefs said Tuesday. The legislation prevents registered sex offenders from joining or remaining members of volunteer fire and ambulance companies by requiring applicants to submit to background checks for prior sex offense convictions, according to a Monday announcement from State Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, who sponsored the bill. Full Article
Read MoreHesperia City Council Modifies Existing Sex Offender Ordinance
In a vote of 4 to 1, the Hesperia City Council approved significant modifications to its sex offender ordinance by reducing both presence and residency restrictions. Specifically, the Council voted to end provisions that prohibited registered citizens from loitering within 500 feet of public places and replaced them with restrictions from being present at schools or public places where children gather. The Council also voted to reduce residency restrictions from 4,000 to 2,000 feet from schools and parks. The new law, when in effect, will be consistent with current state…
Read MoreFL: Judd – men cleared of crimes still ‘sexual predators’
Polk County, Florida — Sheriff Grady Judd assembled a press conference Tuesday morning of nearly a dozen local law enforcement leaders to recognize their efforts in “Operation Cyber Vigilance,” a March-through-June crackdown that already received thorough coverage in local media. However, he either didn’t realize – or didn’t care – that a number of the 132 men whose faces appeared on his mugshot “big board” had already been cleared of committing crimes. Full Article
Read MoreCarson City Council to consider revoking restrictions on sex offenders
Carson’s wide-reaching laws restricting registered sex offenders from approaching parks, child-care centers, public pools or other places where children gather will be on the chopping block Tuesday night when the City Council considers a lawsuit challenging the Municipal Code. Full Article
Read MoreOWNER OF WEBSITES LOSES CASE IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT
Charles Rodrick, owner of a family of websites that publishes the names, photos and other personal information regarding registered citizens and sometimes members of their families, today lost a case filed against him in federal district court when the court entered a default judgment. The case alleged that Rodrick and others he controlled violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act by extorting money from individuals in order to have their personal information removed from those websites. “This is a major victory for registered citizens in our nation,” stated…
Read MoreCouncil to consider bond issue, reconsider sex-offender laws
HESPERIA — The City Council will consider and reconsider a number of issues at a specially scheduled 3 p.m. Tuesday meeting. Included on the agenda is a resolution approving issuance of multi-family housing revenue bonds, revisions to regulations concerning registered sex offenders and amendments to the fine schedule under emergency water conservation conditions. Full Article
Read MoreCalifornia not following recommendation on parole agent caseloads
California never adopted the recommendation that the caseloads of agents supervising sex offenders be reduced, despite the urging of a blue-ribbon task force that was set up after an arrest in the kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard, and the deaths of others at the hands of those under the state’s watch. Instead, agent caseloads remain at levels as much as twice what the task force deemed safe, while duties for those agents have been greatly expanded. Full Article
Read MoreGoogle email scan helps police arrest a sex offender
Google has long used automatic image scanning to fight online child exploitation, but it’s now clear that this monitoring applies to email, too. Houston police have arrested a registered sex offender after Google tipped them off to illegal photos of children in his Gmail account. The notice only led to a warrant at first, but it helped the cops discover locally stored images that they wouldn’t have found otherwise. Full Article
Read MoreWe’re becoming paranoid about kids, parks (Opinion)
A couple of weeks ago, the Debra Harrell story made national headlines. Harrell was arrested in North Augusta, S.C., and charged with a felony for letting her 9-year-old daughter play at a park while Harrell worked a shift at a local McDonald’s. Now, it has happened again, in Port St. Lucie, Fla., where a mother was charged with child neglect after letting her son go to a park by himself. Full Op-Ed Piece
Read MoreGeneral Comments August 2014
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of August 2014. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreTX: From convicted sex offender to millionaire, man gets new life
Dallas (CNN) — ____ ____ has has been spending most of his time these days living in a tiny room in a no-frills northeast Dallas nursing home. Until recently, he had a roommate who slept in a bed 2 feet away, and staff brought him three square meals a day. Only a few hours passed each day in which he didn’t think about his burden of four decades: being a convicted sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreUK: Teacher who sniffed children’s feet given suspended prison sentence
A TEACHER who sniffed and tickled pupils’ feet for sexual gratification has been handed a suspended prison sentence. ____ ____ , 51, would play a game of ‘smell and tickle’ with pupils at a Blackburn primary school, which involved him making the pupils take off their shoes and pick a post-it note. He would then do to them whatever was written on the paper they picked. … Judge Simon Newell, sitting at Preston Crown Court, sentenced ____ to 15 months in prison suspended for two years. The defendant was also made subject to a two-year…
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