OAKLEY, Calif. – The arrival of a registered person has an Oakley neighborhood in an uproar.
Residents say they are afraid for their children and feel like prisoners in their homes.
“For 30 nights I have not slept until 4 a.m. because I am awake thinking about what we can do,” said Jennifer Curran who lives with her husband, son, and daughter on Fetzer Court.
Across the street is a rental newly occupied by Jeffrey ____, 52,
“There are 19 children who play on this block, not anymore though,” said Curran.
She says her cul-de-sac in the Vintage Parkway neighborhood was especially social, until Jeffrey moved in.
“This person has taken away the family presence here, everyone went in and closed their doors and no one’s come back out since.”
Now, large banners hang in the front yards of several homes.
“Protect Your Kids!” they declare followed by the web address of megan’s law.
The Megan’s Law registry is where many of them found out about Jeffrey’s past.
In 2002, at age 33, Jeffrey posed as a high school student on the internet, in order to lure underage girls to his Walnut Creek apartment where he gave them alcohol and videotaped them having sex.
He was already on probation for a 1996 statutory rape in Alameda County, and plead no contest to the Contra Costa charges.
“He was charged with 30 felonies, he was convicted of 11, with four victims,” said a neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous.
“We are trying to prevent him from obtaining another victim, and the banners are to warn people he’s here.”
Neighbors have been frustrated to learn Jeffrey is free to live where he chooses.
Sentenced to eight years in prison, he served five, and has been out for more than 15 offense free years.
“He crossed the line, even if he regrets it, he crossed the line, ” said neighbor Brandon Clark, father of three daughters, who spoke in front of Jeffrey’s rental.
“People around here are scared, I feel like people are too scared to come and face him.”
Jeffrey’s shades were drawn, and no one answered the camera-equipped doorbell.
Neighbors say he is rarely seen, except when putting out weekly garbage cans, but has spoken to a few people about his past.
“He said something like it wasn’t his fault, he was lured into it,” scoffed neighbor Troy Curran.
“I think anybody who’s a child predator is a threat and he should not be here, anywhere but here.”
Neighbors have appealed to the landlords and their elected officials, with no results.
In a statement Oakley’s Police Chief says his mission is protecting the community, “especially the most vulnerable, our children.”
Dean Capellitti acknowledges concern about “the recent arrival of a sex registrant” to the neighborhood.
He writes, “we support your cause”, noting that kids “should have a safe passageway to and from their school.”
Since the route for many passes by Jeffrey’s house, parents are already talking about driving their children to school in the fall.
But they hope by then, he will have moved along.
“You can’t sell or rent your house because nobody wants to live across from a predator,” said Jennifer Curran.
“And why should you have to give up your safe space, why should you have to give up your community?”
Many of us in CA could have been homeless today if ACSOL had not fought against residential restrictions. If you appreciate what ACSOL did, please make regular contributions and put ACSOL in your will so their good work can continue!
These morons make me sick!!!
Yeah, Roger, you have shamed me into it….I will send another check today. Without Janice we damn well all of us might be homeless.
Thanks again for kicking me into action
James I
When Megan’s Law was first implemented, the mantra was that simply knowing where registrants were made everyone safer. Well, now they know.
Other residents are perfectly free to move or barricade themselves inside if they choose. After a few months, they’ll get over it.
pss how many neighbors are committing sex offenses now and don’t know about it? Pass it on
Just think, if this guy had only beaten those underage girls nearly to death and put them in wheelchairs for life then he wouldn’t even be listed on any Hit List. He would be a safe person, just like all the rest of these people who can’t mind their own business and are harassing him. I guess these harassers feel like they don’t have enough control of their own children to educate and supervise them enough to keep them from going to some random guy’s home and getting videoed having sex. These kinds of “parents”, who won’t educate or supervise their children, are the ones who create victims. Their children will be victims but it won’t be because of anyone listed on the Hit Lists. They won’t protect their children but they’ll make signs to harass people and make themselves feel better.
Personally, I’m happy when the Hit Lists cause “neighbors” problems and keep them awake “For 30 nights … until 4 a.m.” Because the Hit Lists exist, everyone in America must suffer. Everyone who supports the Hit Lists deserves worse consequences. They won’t be bothering me.
I wonder how many of those people would be in an uproar if they knew a convicted drug dealer lived in their neighborhood. Oh wait, drug dealers don’t sell drugs to kids and they’re not violent. If someone came to his house to rob him there wouldn’t be any trouble. No gunshots or anything like that.
I’m so sick and tired of the public thinking that all sex offenders are dangerous people who are just waiting for the right opportunity to snatch up their kids.
Snowflakes looking for a “safe place.” Maybe they can find it on Mars. LOL
What’s the point of Megan’s law if people and their family’s are to scared to go outside after finding out a sex offender lives in their neighborhoods.
What’s the point of Megan’s law if you can’t sale your home because some random guy you don’t even know committed a sex crime 20 years ago.
LE can deal with the angry people living in this neighborhood and reassure them that Megan’s law website is here to keep them and their children safe
#1. I live in Southern California. I too could easily be awake until 4:00 a.m. every night If I chose to worry about such things as earthquakes, global warming, pandemics, etc. It is not this registrant’s fault that this woman has trouble sleeping. That’s her issue, not his. (She needs some good mental health therapy to assist her in
redirecting her thoughts.)
#2. If the neighbors bother to do some research, they would note that someone who has been out of prison and not convicted of a new sex charge for 15 years has a very low chance of recidivism. I personally suspect that “Jeffrey” just wants to live his life and be left alone. And, to that end, I wish him the very best.
These folks admit being “afraid.” When there is nothing to fear save fear itself. I wonder if he has the courage to face them? I would if i faced such a protest because there is little difference between that and FTR. Except there is no felony involved with confronting the fearful masses.
Looks like another witch hunt 😢. We need to pray that someone doesn’t hurt this guy to be a neighborhood superhero. 🙏 so sad yet another example of the good old registry.
ACSOL thank you for what you do
to help us and our families I too am donating ❤️🙏
I think everyone should be forgiven once, but this guy clearly learned nothing from his first conviction and ended up doing even worse things the second time. People who re offend hurt all of us becasue the one reason we are so stigmatized is becasue there is a false belief that we hear all the time that people who do a sex offense can’t be rehabilitated and will always re-offend again. This guy just strengthens that false premise. So this guy has done us some real harm. Seems like he got a twenty year sentence this last time, and with the public harassment he will probably endure for the rest of his life he might learn something this time. I use this as an example of what is waiting for me if I ever choose to re offend. I have pretty well rebuilt my life, sort of, and am mostly left alone, except for the DOJ so I don’t care to be in this man’s shoes. He is going to have a rough life.
Wow, sounds like Boo Radley lives here, but that is merely fiction and wouldn’t mirror reality, would it?
So, can we just use this how communities will never use the list to “inform,” but will tend to ostracize and possibly persecute an individual.
The registry is useless and should be dismantled.
It would be better if this moral panic article was from a source that allowed comments. Not hard to find. As it stands, we are just sending them traffic while in exchange we get censored at their site.
I thought it was illegal to use the information on CA Megan’s law to harass a registrant in this …Here is the disclaimer from the CA website: Legal and Illegal Uses. The information on this website is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses the information on this website for purposes other than protecting a person at risk, including to commit a crime or to harass an offender or their family, is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. (Pen. Code § 290.46(l).) . Janice/Chance any advice?
I thought it was illegal to use the information on CA Megan’s law to harass a registrant in this way. Here is the disclaimer from the CA website: Legal and Illegal Uses. The information on this website is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses the information on this website for purposes other than protecting a person at risk, including to commit a crime or to harass an offender or their family, is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. (Pen. Code 290.46) . Janice/Chance any advice?
They sound pretty selfish to me. They want him to “live anywhere else but here”? So, what would that mean for the neighbors and their kids where he would move to if they had their way? They don’t want to lose their “safe” place. Have they read the news lately? It seems no place is safe anymore. Don’t send your kids to school at all if you are worried, because guess what, their teacher or coach could be the next person to harm their kids. Someone who is most likely not on any registry. What a better way to stay safe at all times than staying inside, and that is what they are doing. So, there. They are safe now. Now, a drunk or distracted driver can’t hurt their kids, they can’t get struck by lightning or get hit by falling debris from an airplane. Problem solved. Everybody should be happy.
This preoccupation with pedophilia from the fox news people is really getting out of hand.
I would love to rent next to them I would move my sofa to the front porch put all my trash on the front lawn, make a beer can monument and invite over motorcycle buddies and put up a big american flag up . They would be so sorry they ever spoke of me!