Month: October 2022

PA: Appeals court rules private housing development cannot bar sex offenders

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Source: mdjonline.com 10/31/22 A state appellate court ruled a private housing development does not have the right to entirely ban registered sex offenders from living within their community. Ruling in a Monroe County case, the state Commonwealth Court said a 2016 restrictive covenant in the Lake Naomi housing community in Tobyhanna Twp. runs afoul of a state regulations that control where registered sex offenders can reside. The case has statewide implications because it marks the first time a state appellate court has addressed whether private homeowner communities must abide by…

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IA: Sheriff spreads lies about why registrants have lower recidivism rate

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Source: qctimes.com 10/29/22 Compliance checks on Scott County registered sex offenders were held Oct. 23, 24, 25 and 26 that led to the arrest of 10 people for registration violations and investigations into seven others, Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane said. … “The ultimate goal of the registry is to eliminate recidivism,” he added. “The recidivism rate for sex offenders is actually lower than it is for other crimes. I attribute that to the hard work of the Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa Department of Corrections.” Read the full article…

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On Halloween, some states take extra safety measures to keep sex offenders away from kids

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Source: cnn.com 10/30/22 As people stock up on Halloween candy, some cities and states are imposing extra measures to make sure sex offenders don’t answer when little ghouls and goblins knock on their doors. In several states, including Georgia and California, some supervised sex offenders are not allowed to have contact with kids under 18. With that in mind, law enforcement agencies are taking steps on Halloween to ensure sex offenders don’t come near trick-or-treaters. “I don’t let my kids roam the neighborhood alone on Halloween for many reasons,” said…

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NV: Las Vegas police partner with smartphone app to show sex offenders in neighborhoods ahead of Halloween

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Source: foxnews.com 10/28/22 Parents can view registered sex offenders’ addresses on the Offender Watch app, which partnered with Las Vegas police The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has partnered with an app that show residents where sex offenders live in their neighborhoods ahead of Halloween. The free app called Offender Watch says on its website that it allows parents to “track your children, map offenders nearby, get alerts if your child is contacted or lingers near an offender’s residence, safety tips, and more.” LVMPD partnered with the app so…

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Canada: Supreme Court rules mandatory sex offender registry is unconstitutional

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Source: nationalpost.com 10/28/22 Mandatory listing on Canada’s sex offender registry is, for some offenders, an unjustified infringement on their liberty that is not rationally connected to the goal of investigating or preventing sexual crimes, the Supreme Court ruled Friday. Automatic lifetime listing in the case of multiple sexual offences is similarly “overbroad,” the court decided in striking down both laws to permit discretion by sentencing judges. … Imposing those automatically, with no regard to an offender’s circumstances or risk of re-offending, is not justified by any rational connection to the…

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UT: TRICK OR RETREAT: Why doesn’t Utah have sex offender laws for Halloween?

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Source: abc4.com 10/27/22 SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Several states across the country have different laws limiting what sex offenders can do around children on Halloween. This includes not being allowed to pass out candy, display decorations, dress up in a costume or answer the door to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.   However, Utah does not have any of those laws.   … ABC4 News asked multiple police agencies in Utah how often they see registered sex offenders creating problems on Halloween. Both the West Jordan Police Department and Unified Police…

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NY: Misleading article title stokes Halloween hysteria

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Source: hudsonvalleypost.com 10/28/22 Close to 100 New York sex offenders won’t be on the streets as Hudson Valley children try to enjoy Halloween. Westchester County is trying to make sure local sex offenders are off the streets while children trick-or-treat in the region this Halloween. “When it comes time for trick-or-treaters to knock on doors this Halloween, local sex offenders will once again be attending an Anti-Sexual Abuse Victim Impact Program, designed to keep sex offenders off the streets. The annual program is run by the Westchester County Department of…

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Santa Cruz judge denies general ‘transient’ release to [former] “sexually violent predator”

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SANTA CRUZ — The bid to release a twice-convicted rapist into the community without a set, permanent residence failed Tuesday. Bonny Doon residents rallied at the county courthouse in November to speak out against “sexually violent predator” Michael Cheek being housed on Wild Iris Lane. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel file)  Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Syda Cogliati ruled against a “transient release” petition by 71-year-old Michael Cheek, designated by the state as a sexually violent offender. In November, Cogliati approved Cheek to move under supervised release into a…

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Janice’s Journal: Halloween Is Here Again

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Earlier this week I was preparing to write a column about Halloween when I was interrupted by a more pressing matter. I am glad that I was interrupted because the message of that column is no longer true. The original focus of my message was about Halloween and that is the focus of this column. The difference, however, is that the original column was going to address the seeming lack of Halloween restrictions being levied against registrants as well as the lack of media inquiries. Unfortunately, the actions of two southern…

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WA: Thousands of formerly incarcerated people in Washington allowed to vote with no carve-outs

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WASHINGTON, USA — The November midterm elections are less than two weeks away and for thousands of people in Washington, it’s the first time they are eligible to vote under a new law that restored voting rights to formerly incarcerated people. “I was actually incarcerated at 17,” said Cyril Walrond. Walrond spent 17 years in prison and was released on Aug. 1 at the age of 34. “The very next day to register to vote and to vote in the primary, really gave me a sense of connectivity within my community, where…

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Update: ACSOL Demands End of Halloween Signs for 2 county sheriff’s offices

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ACSOL sent a letter today demanding that the Sheriff in Faulkner County, Arkansas, immediately end a county wide program that requires all registrants in that county to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween.  The letter warns that if this demand is not met, all available legal remedies will be pursued. “Courts have consistently determined that Halloween sign requirements for registrants are unconstitutional,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “That is because the signs are compelled government speech and violate the First Amendment.” The most…

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AR: FCSO warns parents against trick-or-treating certain addresses

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Source: thecabin.net 10/26/22 The Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office is placing door hangers on the doors of sex offenders warning “No Trick-or-Treat at this Address.” The community effort, led by Sex Offender Coordinator Chelsea McDaniel and FCSO Reserve Commander Brian Tyner, is designed to help community members stay safe this Halloween, FCSO spokesman Sherry Skaggs said. Commander Tyner said: “This was an opportunity for the Reserve Unit to take on a mission to improve community safety.” While signs have traditionally been placed on the doors of sex offenders on active probation…

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UK: Semen-sniffing dog used by British cops to help bust sex offenders

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Source: nypost.com 10/21/22 Man’s best friend may be a man’s best chance at busting sex offenders. A semen-sniffing dog is working in the sex crime unit of a police department in England to help catch creeps and perverts, cops announced this week. The 1-year-old yellow Labrador, April, was trained to detect even tiny amounts of seminal fluid at crime scenes — and is better than traditional kits at extracting DNA, according to the Cheshire Police Department in England. The perv-busting pooch can pinpoint as little as 0.016ml of semen deposited…

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FL: Florida sheriff’s deputy arrested for sex with teen in youth cadet program

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Source: nypost.com 10/19/22 A Florida sheriff’s deputy was arrested Tuesday for having sex with a teen he supervised in the department’s youth cadet program, including several trysts while on duty, officials said. Bay County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew _____, 21, admitted to sexual relations with the 17-year-old a total of seven times. The agency said _____ acknowledged having illicit contact with the victim while on active police duty. “The Bay County Jr. Deputy and Explorer Program is a program for youth that are interested in law enforcement,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy…

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Polly Klaas’s murder fueled the 90s crime panic. Her sisters fear ‘we’re repeating history’

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Source: theguardian.com 10/22/22 Jess and Annie Nichol want to undo the harsh criminal laws passed after their sister was abducted: ‘We don’t want our pain to be used to punish anyone else’. Annie Nichol was seven years old on 19 March 1994 when she was brought to the White House to talk to Bill Clinton. With a stuffed dolphin by her side, the girl spoke to the president about her 12-year-old sister, Polly Klaas, who had been abducted five months earlier from the family’s home in Petaluma, California, while Annie…

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LA: Lutcher Man Sentenced to for Failure to Report International Travel as a Sex Offender

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Source: justice.gov 10/21/22 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA  U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that WILLIE WALKER, age 56, was sentenced on October 14, 2022 by Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to a probationary term of five years for failure to report international travel as a sex offender under the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). According to court documents, WALKER was convicted in Washington State in 2002 of a sex offense that required him to register as a sex offender for life.  In addition to registering as a sex offender, WALKER was…

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CA Court Grants Contested Petition for Removal from Registry

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A judge in Pasadena Superior Court yesterday granted a petition for removal from the registry despite an objection filed by the Los County District Attorney.  The petition was filed on behalf of an individual who was convicted 25 years ago in the same court and by the same judge. According to the District Attorney (DA), the registrant should be required to continue registration in order to “significantly enhance community safety.”  The only evidence presented in support of this position by the DA were documents related to the initial charges and…

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