Source: ozarkradionews.com 5/19/26
[ACSOL is posting this as a warning to those who are considering walking onto school property]
A Houston man was taken into custody Friday after police say he attended the Houston R‑1 School District graduation ceremony despite restrictions tied to his status on the sex offender registry.
According to a probable cause statement filed by the Houston Police Department, officers were alerted on May 15, 2026, that 66‑year‑old Roger _____ was present inside the Tiger Field House during the ceremony, where “numerous juveniles [were] present” .
Officer C. Davis wrote that he confirmed Roger’s registry status through Texas County 911 Dispatch and approached him in the stands. Roger reportedly acknowledged he was on the registry and told the officer he “just wanted to see his granddaughter’s graduation,” but admitted he had not sought authorization from the school superintendent to attend the event .
Police say Roger was informed…
Read Florida Action Committee’s analysis
Omg this is so sad
Another example of the registry harming families. All this grandfather wanted to see was his granddaughter’s graduation and shouldn’t have been arrested.
Here in Maryland I can’t be on school property or daycare centers even when school is out for the summer. Makes no sense to me, but nothing about the registry or sex offense laws make a lick of sense unless the person is a short order happy meal with nothing in between the ears except hot air.
In California you’re going to prison if u step foot on a school campus. California updated the laws back in 2021 but the real question is what if a person forced to register is a single parent and have to in roll there child in school, by law if they don’t they could be arrested. Can you imagine walking on a school campus to in roll your child and be arrested days later.
In Missouri, the rule is that the registrant must ask for permission to be on school grounds if they have their child participating in an activity. Some admins will allow it and some don’t. If this person’s offense was many years ago, it’s possible that law didn’t even exist at the time of conviction. Or from another angle, was the registrant notified of the law or that it would be applied to his past conviction? I realize there are civil laws and those laws may he changed on a whim and people can be arrested for those, but this law is written in a a way that applies based on conviction. It’s a punishment based on the conviction, not a collateral consequence. Was it a part of his sentencing? If not, how can this not violate due process or ex post facto…or both?
Since the town of Houston, Missouri is so set on preventing crime, let’s see how good they are at that. Well, according to this site, they’re a lot worse than the Missouri average on both property crimes and violent crimes. Each one of those crimes represents a failure of the Houston, Missouri police department to prevent a crime–since they are clearly in the business of crime prevention. Maybe these tactics, arresting grandfathers just trying to support their grandchildren, just aren’t the way forward to making Houston, Missouri a place someone would want to raise their kids? Maybe they need a leader who makes a real difference and doesn’t harass law-abiding citizens and fail to keep citizens safe?
How has this been allowed to evolve in this country? These laws are horrific. I am so sorry and sad for this man, his family, his granddaughter. What a disastrous spectacle I’m sure they made of it.
My heart goes out to this man. It just seems they look for a reason to arrest those on the registry.
This is infuriating and gut wrenching.
My daughter graduates next month and I’m struggling for an excuse why I will miss it. Maybe grandma is sick…again?
Yes, I could request permission to attend, but my son has another three years there and I don’t trust staff to keep the secret.
While I should be celebrating and cherishing every moment with them, I can’t wait for them to both to go off to college. At that moment, I feel like I’ve crossed the finish line.
Name one law that is constantly promoted in the media by law enforcement. Name one law that is used exclusively by law enforcement to promote their department’s work. Name one law that used by politicians to stoke fear of what will happen if you don’t follow it.
The registry is a political PR tool. There is NO “public safety” component to the registry. Their public safety claim is just propaganda they constantly use to DEFEND IT.