Month: May 2023

NJ: New Lawsuit Challenges New Jersey’s Lifetime Child Abuse Registry

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Source: reason.com 3/7/23 “Lifetime registries are wrong,” said the plaintiff’s attorney. “They’re wrong based on the science and they’re wrong based on the reality that risk is not static. It is dynamic.” In New Jersey, individuals found to have committed any act of child abuse or neglect are placed on the state’s child abuse registry for life—creating a permanent stigma that bars them from a litany of professions. Even though the evidence in favor of such registries is sparse, they continue to be popular across the nation. However, one New…

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AL: Cullman County man sentenced to 75 years for failure to register as sex offender

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Source: cullmantribune.com 5/11/23 CULLMAN, Ala. – Cullman County Circuit Court Judge Greg Nicholas on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, sentenced David Lee ____, of Hanceville, to 75 years in prison. The sentence stems from ____’s March 1 conviction for failing to register as a sex offender with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office in violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. “As I stated after the trial our sex offender registration laws are tough for good reason and we will not only prosecute those who break them to the fullest,…

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John Legend knows the obstacles of life after prison. He wants you to know them too

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Source: npr.org 5/4/23 When incarcerated people leave prison, are they actually free? Turns out, the singer/songwriter John Legend is one of 113 million American adults who has had a family member incarcerated. He tells his family’s story in this 30-minute documentary that asserts people can’t be free unless they have the necessary resources when they leave prison. From the get-go HOME/FREE lists the problems with re-entry into their community. “I have the ability to go where I want. I do. But at what cost?” says Anthony Ray Hinton, one of…

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FL: Officials: Florida Sex Offender Charged With Illegal Voting

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Source: usnews.com 5/10/23 MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) — A registered sex offender in Florida has been arrested on charges that he voted illegally in the November 2020 election. Louis Palmieri, 77, of Melbourne, was charged Tuesday with false affirmation in connection with an election and voting by an unqualified elector, both third-degree felonies, according to Brevard County jail records. Melbourne is on the Atlantic coast, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) southeast of Orlando. Palmieri voted in the November 2020 election after signing paperwork claiming he was eligible to vote, the Florida…

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FL: ‘Justice’ reformer, ex-BSO deputy Bleiweiss avoids prison but must submit to sex-offender treatment

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Source: floridabulldog.org 5/10/23 Self-appointed justice reformer Jonathan Bleiweiss, credibly accused of molesting 25 men when he was a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy, has shut down an attempt to send him back to prison for a long stretch. Prosecutors wanted substantial prison time to punish Bleiweiss for violating his probation. Under the terms of a generous 2015 plea deal, he served less than four years of a five-year sentence for multiple counts of battery, stalking and armed false imprisonment, at the same time ducking a possible life sentence for multiple sex…

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CA: Board Overseeing Federal Homelessness Funds Erupts Into Shouts Over Nomination of Sex Offender – PubliCola

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Source: publicola.com 5/10/23 The King County Regional Homelessness Authority has asked a member of its Continuum of Care board to step down after she yelled at a fellow board member who objected to the appointment of a proposed new board member, pointing out that he is a registered sex offender and accusing him of behaving inappropriately toward her in the past. In an email to KCRHA staff and board members last Thursday, KCRHA chief program officer Peter Lynn said he was formally asking the board co-chair, Shanéé Colston, to resign…

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GA: Columbus prison inmate charged in cellmate’s homicide. Witnesses say he choked victim

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Source: news.yahoo.com 5/10/23 An inmate who was being held at Columbus’ Rutledge State Prison has been charged with murder in the death of a cellmate. Nicholas Kyle Shaw, 32, faced charges of murder and aggravated assault Wednesday during a bond hearing in Muscogee Municipal Court. He is charged in the April 23 death of inmate Daniel Tyler Nichols, 26, authorities said. An investigator testified that on April 22, other inmates found Shaw atop Nichols in their cell, choking him. They pushed him off, and finding Nichols unresponsive, told Shaw he…

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AL: What to do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood

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Source: cbs42.com 5/10/23 SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — What do you do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood? That was a question posed to CBS42 by neighbors in Shelby County after they received a flyer in the mail from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, alerting them that a sex offender had recently moved into the Brook Highland area. “We’re gonna make sure the community knows who you are, we’re gonna make sure the community knows where you live,” Chief Deputy Clay Hammac with the Shelby County Sheriff’s…

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How Parole Conditions Trapped Me in Homelessness

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Source: theappeal.org 5/9/23 The severe restrictions I face while on supervision effectively serve as a ban on stable housing. The terms of this arrangement have left me technically homeless, forced to live in a motel.   … The terms of this arrangement have left me homeless—at least technically. I currently live in a Super 8 motel. It is a nuisance, but also a comfort. I get the comfort of a mattress, a room of my own, and a hot shower. It’s better than the alternatives of living on the street,…

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CA: CASOMB Reports Increases on Petitions Filed and Granted

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Source: ACSOL The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) held its monthly meeting today and during that meeting it was reported that the number of filed petitions for removal from the registry has increased to a total of 5,582.  Of that total, state courts have granted 4,050 petitions and denied 85 petitions.  There are 1,532 petitions that have been filed but are waiting for a court’s decision. “The number of petitions filed has increased by 881 as compared to January 2023,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “While this number…

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WI: The Child Victims Act aims to support survivors of childhood sexual abuse

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Source: weau.com 5/8/23 EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – Wisconsin legislators have proposed a new bill that would help survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The Child Victims Act extends the amount of time that victims of child sexual abuse can file private lawsuits against their abusers. The new length of time for survivors would be up to 45 years old, the same amount of time that they’re able to file criminal charges. Sexual assault advocate at Family Resource Center in Eau Claire, Amanda S., said sexual assault is considered one of…

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FL: Sex Tape of Florida Middle School Students Airdropped to Other Students, Incident Under Investigation

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Source: ibtimes.sg 5/6/23 School officials and the Jacksonville Beach Police are investigating a situation at Fletcher Middle School that allegedly involves an explicit video that shows two students having sex. Officials say the video was sent out to via AirDrop and text messaging apps, popping up on the cell phones of their peers at the school. Principal Joe McKenzie called parents to inform them of the incident this week. “We’ve recently learned that someone shared an inappropriate, obscene video with students via text message and Airdrop,” McKenzie said, in part.…

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OK: Tulsa man convicted on child pornography charges

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Source: tulsaworld.com 4/28/23 A Tulsa man who boasted on social media about his preference for dating underage girls was sentenced to life in prison Friday after he was convicted earlier of enticing a minor to have sex and related child porn crimes. Chief U.S. District Judge John Heil III also ordered Alexander Nicholaus Sweet, 29, to simultaneously serve terms ranging from 10 years to 30 years in prison for six other related crimes. Sweet, who indicated through an attorney that he would appeal his convictions and sentence, continues to maintain…

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CA: Former federal agent from Riverside gets life in prison for sexual assault of 2 women

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Source: ktla.com 5/8/23 A former special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) from Riverside was sentenced to life in federal prison for sexually assaulting two women and using his law enforcement position to prevent them from reporting his violent crimes, authorities announced Monday. The former federal agent, 48-year-old John Jacob Olivas, started his government career in 2007, working in Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He later moved to HSI but resigned in 2015 after working for the agency for just over six years, according to a news release from the United…

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OK: Henryetta family starts extreme petition filled with false statements to strengthen laws for sex offenders

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Source: ktul.com 5/9/23 TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — A Henryetta family has started a petition to strengthen laws for sex offenders in Oklahoma following the tragedy that took the lives of five children. The petition, which the family has titled “The Knights Law,” opposes sex offender sentencing and probation requirements. On the petition page, the family gave the following petition description and statement: After recent tragedy struck our small community of Henryetta, Oklahoma, we decided to write this petition to help change the law on sentencing and probation terms in Oklahoma…

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TX: First-Grade Students at Texas School Allegedly Force 6-Year-Old Girl to Perform Sex Act, Record Act on Ipad While Teacher was in the Classroom

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Source: ibtimes.sg 5/8/23 A large group of Texas parents were seen protesting outside of the administrative offices of the Plainview Independent School District, demanding answers from authorities over allegations that first-grade students forced a six-year-old girl to perform a sex act in the classroom. The incident took place at the South Elementary School in Plainview, Texas. According to the Plainview Herald, the parents of the girl received a phone call about the incident last month. School officials informed her mother that an inappropriate video was found on an iPad given…

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MI: Michigan Senate passes sexual assault reform six years after Nassar conviction

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Source: bridgemi.com 5/4/23 Michigan Senate votes almost unanimously to pass the eight-bill package Thursday The bills were first introduced as a reaction to the 2018 Larry Nassar scandal Legislation would create a felony for those who sexually abuse their patients and lie to them about it LANSING — A bipartisan legislative package to strengthen penalties for sexual assaults and protect survivors cleared the Michigan Senate almost unanimously Thursday. The legislation will now head to the House.   The package was first introduced in 2018 following the conviction of Larry Nassar, a…

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UK: Charity film urges child sex abuse viewers to stop and contact helpline

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Source: uk.news.yahoo.com 4/25/23 A new short film which aims to act as a “wake-up call” to people viewing child sex abuse images online has been released by a charity urging offenders to call its helpline and put a stop to their behaviour. The Lucy Faithfull Foundation (LFF), which runs a helpline for those concerned about accessing images of children being abused, warned that people who offend online “come from all backgrounds and walks of life and don’t conform to stereotypes”, so everyone must be aware of the risks. Last month…

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