LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa.—In a move that may have the effect of branding a teenage girl—and possibly hundreds more—as a “sex offender” for life, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has reinstated child porn charges against the girl, known in court papers only as “C.S.”, who posted a hardcore video of two of her teenage friends on Facebook. C.S. was originally charged with violations of 18 Pa.C.S. §6312, “Sexual Abuse of Children,” for having “disseminated” the video in violation of subsection (c) of the law, and also under subsection (d), “Child Pornography.” However,…
Read MoreYear: 2014
TN: Bill would place ‘sex offender’ on convicted offender’s license
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Should sex offenders have the status marked on their driver’s license in Tennessee? The idea received a good bit of debate Wednesday on Capitol Hill. A new bill would require the words “sex offender” to be stamped on a convicted offender’s driver’s license in red three times. It would increase state expenditures one time by $150,000. Full Article
Read Morethe mystery of the missing sex offenders
A fear-mongering news report from Omaha’s KETV talks about sex offenders who go missing. According to Nebraska’s sex offender registry, there are more than 900 convicted offenders living in Douglas County alone. Chris White, a deputy U.S. marshal with the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force, said about 90 of those convicted offenders are hiding. “There are more people absconding every day. That number compiles [sic] unless we get after it,” White said. A multi-agency task force tracks down the missing sex offenders. “I assume that they’re reoffending, that they’re dropping off…
Read MoreCanada: Public child sex offender database planned
OTTAWA – The federal government plans to create a publicly accessible database of high-risk child sex offenders as part of a bill that takes aim at those who prey on young people. The legislation introduced Wednesday would also require registered sex offenders to provide more information when they travel abroad and permit more sharing of information between federal agencies. In addition, the bill proposes making those convicted of child sex crimes against multiple children to serve their sentences consecutively. “Make no mistake about it,” said Justice Minister Peter MacKay. “If you sexually…
Read MoreFL: Eighth Grader Faces Child Pornography Charges
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla- A Pasco County eighth grader faces felony child pornography charges after deputies say he posted a nude picture of a 13-year-old girl on Facebook. Deputies said the 14-year-old boy had been exchanging pictures on an app but became angry when the girl stopped sending explicit photos. The girl, meanwhile told investigators she never expected to see those photos made public. The suspect’s mother, who said this was a case of two kids arguing and said that it shouldn’t have made escalated into adult felony charges. She also said the…
Read MoreSupreme Court ruling expands police authority in home searches
WASHINGTON — Police officers may enter and search a home without a warrant as long as one occupant consents, even if another resident has previously objected, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a Los Angeles case. The 6-3 ruling, triggered by a Los Angeles Police Department arrest in 2009, gives authorities more leeway to search homes without obtaining a warrant, even when there is no emergency. Full Article
Read MoreTX: A teacher, sexting and the right to free speech
He was 30 and she was 13 — a teacher and his student — but their relationship went far beyond the classroom, authorities say. In six days in October 2012, they sent 688 text messages to each other, and the conversation became sexual, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The messages — known as “sexting” — included descriptions of sexual preferences and fantasies and discussions of dreams about each other, the affidavit says. ____ ____, now 31, who was a junior high school teacher in the Everman district, was eventually arrested on…
Read MoreWA: Problems plague GPS tracking of offenders
A Pierce County man had no trouble disabling the GPS tracking device that was bound to his ankle, even though it is supposed to send off an alert to law enforcement if it’s tampered with. “I got sick of this little bugger on my leg, it was beating my ankle into a bloody pulp,” said the 25 year old who asked to be called “Red.” “I’m not a tagged animal,” he added. Full Article
Read MoreChelsea’s Law: A Light to Shine On
Today — February 25, 2014 — I want to take a moment to remember the legacy of a girl named Chelsea King. Chelsea was an activist, a runner, a student, a friend, a daughter, and a spunky, charismatic, jovial bubble of joy. This Tuesday marks the fourth anniversary of Chelsea’s disappearance from Poway, Calif., and eventual murder. While she no can longer light up rooms with her smile or belt out a tune on her French horn, her legacy carries on today in the form of Chelsea’s Law. Chelsea’s Law…
Read MoreGA: Lawmaker apologizes for bill scrapping sex offender loitering statute
A freshman Republican state lawmaker apologized Monday for introducing legislation that would scrap a state ban on registered sex offenders loitering near schools, daycare centers and other places where children gather. “In hindsight, this rookie mistake was silly,” Rep. Sam Moore of Cherokee County said in an extraordinary speech delivered on the House floor. “I am mature enough to admit that. At the time though, I believed that I was fulfilling a campaign promise to hit the ground running.” Moore said he did not intend to enable child molesters with House Bill 1033.…
Read MoreClandestine websites fuel ‘alarming’ increase in child porn
WASHINGTON — Often, as the homemade videos begin streaming across the computer screen, unwitting children appear holding homemade placards bearing the pseudonyms of the macabre films’ makers. The makeshift message boards represent claims of credit for the ghastly images that follow: children, some pleading for help, being sexually abused in torturous ways by parents, relatives or others. Among the worst: infants used as toys for the videographers’ and viewers’ sexual gratification. Full Article
Read MoreGA: The case of the malicious sheriff
Newbie Georgia Republican legislator Sam Moore has struck a blow–albeit an unpopular one–for constitutional rights, fact-based legislation, and common sense. His bill would remove restrictions on registered citizens, once their sentences are satisfied, that restrict their movements and prohibit their presence in places such as schools and parks. Shocking as it is in Georgia, there are many jurisdictions throughout the U.S. that do not place these restrictions on registrants. Following what research shows, that these restrictions offer no public safety benefit and that community re-entry is the best path to…
Read MoreTaking a Stand: Women Against Registry responds to our 14 News investigation
EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) –In this week’s Taking a Stand, Vicki Henry with Women Against Registry has a response to our 14 News investigation of sex offenders and school bus stops. The Women Against Registry is based out of Washington, D.C., but she e-mailed her response to us; Vicki wrote the following: If we think about registered sex offenders at all, most of us fear them as monsters who have committed terrible sexual crimes against innocent children and are people who need to be carefully watched when released to make sure…
Read MoreAZ: Court rules Arizona law bars lawsuits against home sellers who don’t discuss nearby sex offenders
PHOENIX – A state appellate court says Arizona law bars lawsuits against home sellers who don’t disclose that a sex offender lives next door, but the ruling also says providing a false reason for selling is another story. The ruling revives a fraud claim against the sellers of a Scottsdale home. The sellers had told the buyers that they were selling because they wanted to be closer to friends. However, their real reason allegedly was the sex offender next door. Full Article
Read MoreMO: Gladstone woman on a crusade for change following Hailey Owens’ death
GLADSTONE, Mo. — Donna Roesle is a mother of three adult kids. Hours after the murder of Hailey Owens, she organized an online petition in hopes of getting a law passed that will get tougher on criminals who commit crimes against children. “It’s just awful that somebody can go out there and grab an innocent baby and do this,” Roesle said. Roesle has a daughter who is expecting her first child. The outrage she felt after Owens’ sudden death has left a hole in her heart and pushed her into action.…
Read MoreTX: Constitutional or not, court allows registration requirement for sex-offenses predating registry law
The Texas District and County Attorneys Association’s weekly case summaries last week described a new Court of Criminal Appeals decision which required sex-offender registration for offenses committed before the creation of the registry. The decision, though, failed to address the question of whether the underlying statute is constitutional, an issue dissenters said they should have confronted. Full Article
Read MoreGA: Bill would allow sex offenders at schools
CANTON — Brand new state Rep. Sam Moore (R-Macedonia) is pushing a sweeping law that would allow registered sex offenders to go anywhere they want — even to schools. Moore, in his first week in office, has turned in a bill that would overturn the crime of loitering and make it so registered sex offenders who aren’t otherwise barred from going to schools or places children gather could go to those places freely. “I am OK with that,” Moore said Thursday, adding that he meant only those who were off…
Read MoreNH: House Votes 231-97 To Prohibit Sex Offender Restrictions
Twelve towns have passed ordinances to limit where sex offenders can live — barring offenders from living near schools, or child-care centers. But law enforcement oppose such bans. Renny Cushing of Hampton, a Democrat, told House colleagues that police know restrictions make monitoring offenders harder. “The chiefs of police do not want to have a situation where you take away one of the tools they have which is to track where sex offenders are. And that’s also why the coalition against sexual and domestic violence is in support of this legislation.”…
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