A Jasper County judge sent a 46-year-old man to prison for two years Monday on a conviction for hanging out in a Joplin park in violation of a state law governing convicted sex offenders.
Tommy J. _____ II was found guilty Sept. 13 of loitering in a public park at the conclusion of a bench trial before Judge Dean Dankelson in Jasper County Circuit Court. Dankelson sentenced Tommy on Monday to two years in prison on the conviction.
A probable-cause affidavit states that Tommy, who has a past conviction in California for continuous sexual abuse of a child, was contacted by a police officer Jan. 6, 2020, inside a vehicle parked after hours in Schifferdecker Park.
Tommy, told the officer he had just gotten off work and stopped there to watch some videos on his cellphone.
So not only was he convicted of using public space, but he was convicted for using during the off hours where really no victims would be present to target, especially children. People who create and uphold these laws need to be tried for war crimes.
Oh, this is definitely worth the money it will cost the state to house this “hardened criminal” for two years. Honestly?! This even made the news?!
Crap like this gets me so heated. The man was minding his own business and now is punished worse than someone who violated their terms of probation. He’ll come back out of prison now with no job, and will probably have a tough time finding one. Unless he has family support, he’ll end up sleeping in a park. Sure makes a lot of sense to me.
I live in Michigan, which is not a stop and ID state and I would have refused to ID myself to the cop. Nothing he could have done about it but kick rocks.
And arrested for loitering? Does the cop even know the definition of loitering? Sitting in your vehicle watching a video on your phone is NOT loitering. Even if it was, what punishment would most people get? At worse, maybe a summons with a $100 fine, but most likely told to move along. Yet this guy gets 2 years in prison because the registry is not punishment.
How dumb to arrest and convict anyone for being in a public park? At least tell the person to leave, but why slap cuffs on the person. Anything to meet the quota!! Nice way to Serve and Protect Missourians!!
This is just yet another warning for millions of people to understand that the criminal regimes are an immoral, criminal, terrorist threat. They should ALWAYS be treated as such, in every way possible. Your #1 voting issue should be for small government. We must vote the big government lovers out.
If I’m ever sent to jail for even one single day for anything related to the Oppression Lists there will be extremely bad consequences. It will make 2 years in prison look like a sunny walk in the park. I’m dedicated to ensuring that OL Supporters suffer magnitudes worse than I ever do.
The only reason law enforcement is getting away with this kind of BS is sex offenders are isolated from one another, this guy was living his life alone hideing out in the shadows and he still got popped.
His California charge of Continuous sexual abuse on a minor is a very serious offense hes probably a Tier 3 jasper county too.
I hope this guy gets the proper treatment he deserves in prison and reaches the highest level of peace.
Good luck ✌😎
It even says parked “after hours” – that means that no kids were even in the park. This cannot be legal!
In a lot of municipalities the definition of loitering is (a “guy” hiding in the bushes). An actual quote from a police chief in my home town. In a lot of municipalities if “he” is sitting at a picnic table, walking, parked for a reason, etc; “he” is not considered loitering. In Chicago just being in a park is a crime.
Missouri’s laws state:
“ Certain offenders not to be present or loiter within five hundred feet of a public park, swimming pool, athletic complex, museum, or nature center — violation, penalty — exception for nature or education center, when. — 1. Any person who has been found guilty of:
(1) Violating any of the provisions of this chapter or the provisions of section 568.020, incest; section 568.045, endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree; section 573.200, use of a child in a sexual performance; section 573.205, promoting a sexual performance by a child; section 573.023, sexual exploitation of a minor; section 573.025, promoting child pornography; or section 573.040, furnishing pornographic material to minors; or
(2) Any offense in any other jurisdiction which, if committed in this state, would be a violation listed in this section;
shall not knowingly be present in or loiter within five hundred feet of any real property comprising any public park with playground equipment, a public swimming pool, athletic complex or athletic fields if such facilities exist for the primary use of recreation for children, any museum if such museum holds itself out to the public as and exists with the primary purpose of entertaining or educating children under eighteen years of age, or Missouri department of conservation nature or education center properties. 2. The first violation of the provisions of this section is a class E felony.
3. A second or subsequent violation of this section is a class D felony.
4. Any person who has been found guilty of an offense under subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection 1 of this section who is the parent, legal guardian, or custodian of a child under the age of eighteen attending a program on the property of a nature or education center of the Missouri department of conservation may receive permission from the nature or education center manager to be present on the property with the child during the program.
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“
So it’s a state law in Missouri. The language is stupid because a presence restriction supersedes the need to use loitering language.
Just living is impossible for PFR. Imagine traveling to a state and getting a coffee within 500′ of a park and being charged with a felony.
Note; sending $1,000 to ACSOL for SORNA litigation. E-Mailed to attorney general, I’ll call and write letter shortly. Lets all get on the bandwagon and fight this B*** S***
Only men comment sex crimes. This saying is on the watchdog website. And society believe those words. The old saying sticks and stone can break my bones but words can never hurt me. Oh yes words can hurt you!!!! Words of lying people can put you behind bars. Never Never talk to any police for they are not on your side. The cops are train to fine a reason to put you behind bars to you men. If it a women she can start crying and let go.. Men keep your mouth shut to any cops. Cops can lie on the stand about you. Than you have too disprove what you said too the cop. Which is now impossible to make a cop out to be a lying pile of S h i p. Cause you yourself told them your life story. Go to youtube and type never talk to a cop
wow the yahoo news looks like the Enquire on steroids some of that stuff has to be manufactured garbage!
I guess one lesson we can learn from this is to not stand out, one way or another by our choices or behavior.
I’m a firm believer that people should be given the benefit of the doubt in areas of uncertainty, and especially so when it comes to a subjective statute such as loitering. How is loitering proved, or what is the defense? I know of more than one state that has these kinds of laws on the books, and they have stiff penalties for registrants that loiter. It is bothersome if one cannot be certain that their conduct avoids criminal prosecution by these statutes. It effectively transforms these loitering laws into banishment edicts.