A movie filmed partly at Oceanside’s El Camino High School has been pulled at the last minute from the Oceanside International Film Festival, a week after organizers learned the man who made the movie is a registered sex offender. “Music High” – produced, written and directed by Mark Charles Maine of San Diego – was yanked from the lineup Wednesday, a day before the festival was scheduled to start, said festival director Dmitiry Demidov. Full Article More on this story: August 3: Film festival troubled over whether to show sex…
Read MoreCategory: California
Simi Valley – Halloween Ordinance First Reading
Simi Valley City Council Meeting August 20, 2012 – 6:30 PM The City of Simi Valley • 2929 Tapo Canyon Road • Simi Valley, CA 93063 • (805) 583-6700 4B. A public hearing to consider an ordinance adding Title 5, Chapter 43, to the Simi Valley Municipal Code establishing restrictions on registered sex offenders on Halloween. Staff Report – City of Simi Valley
Read MoreJury returns guilty verdict in murder trial of man accused of fatally stabbing neighbor
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday morning, following a day of deliberations, a jury returned a guilty verdict in the trial of a Lakeport man who was accused of stabbing his neighbor to death because he wrongly believed the man was a child molester. Ivan Garcia Oliver, 34, was found guilty of first-degree murder, burglary and several special allegations for the stabbing death of Michael Dodele. The jury found him not guilty of a charge of elder abuse. Full Article
Read MoreSex offenders in county parks: just 1 of 17 waivers granted (Orange County)
When Orange County’s Board of Supervisors last year banned registered sex offenders from county parks, they included a waiver process in the ordinance so that exceptions could be made. If a sex offender worked on an asphalt crew that was paving a road in a county park, for example, he or she could apply for a waiver, Supervisor Shawn Nelson said at the time. The supervisors assigned the sheriff’s department to decide which waiver applications ought to be granted. That was in April 2011. Full Article *** Letter by OC…
Read MoreFilm festival opts to show movie despite concern about producer’s past
A movie filmed partly at Oceanside’s El Camino High School will be screened as planned at the Oceanside International Film Festival next week, despite concerns that the San Diego man who made it is a registered sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreFilm festival troubled over whether to show sex offender’s movie
A movie filmed partly in Oceanside and featuring some local residents could be pulled from the Oceanside International Film Festival set for later this month, after organizers learned it was produced, written and directed by a registered sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreOrange County DA (Tony Rackauckus), where does he get his info?
“Anybody who has worked in the system for a while knows that sexual crimes are the ones that are repeated the most – we’ve had case after case of recidivist sex offenders…” Video of Santa Ana City Council Meeting here – OCDA @13:30 Article
Read MoreCarlos Bustamante Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Assault Charges
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KTLA) — Santa Ana City Councilman Carlos Bustamante pleaded not guilty on Thursday to sexual assault charges involving multiple former female co-workers. Bustamante, 47, a married father of three, is currently free on $100,000 bail. A pre-trial hearing date has been scheduled for Aug. 30. He is charged with more than 12 felonies in connection with the alleged sexual assault of seven women while he was the director of Orange County Public Works. Full Article For more background on this story, see here.
Read MoreMan accused of groping girl in park restroom could face life term
A man who allegedly followed a 13-year-old girl and her 7-year-old sister into a park bathroom and fondled one of them was charged Monday with multiple counts of committing lewd acts on a child, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Frank Zsemlye, 27, allegedly followed the girls into the women’s restroom at Modjeska Park in Anaheim on July 19 and pulled the 13-year-old girl into a stall. He is accused of then covering her mouth as he groped various parts of her body over her clothes, according to…
Read MoreSex offender law is wrong
In the Santa Maria Times – Your reporter wrote a fair and balanced article regarding Lompoc’s sex-offender ordinance, which prohibits sex offenders from residing in most parts of the city. The article was balanced in that it included statements from both sides of the issue. As the head of the California Reform Sex Offender Laws organization, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to restoring the rights of those convicted of sex-related offenses, it is rare to see such balance. It is unfortunate, however, that Lompoc has passed this law, because it does…
Read More[UPDATED with Video] Simi deleting part of Halloween sex offender law (back to First Reading)
[highlight bg=”#ff9900″ color=”#fff”]Admin Note: [/highlight] CA RSOL spoke in opposition to the ordinance. It will go back to first reading and public comments. Simi Valley is deleting part of a proposed law that would make the city the first in Ventura County to ban registered sex offenders from having contact with trick-or-treating children on Halloween. The section would have required the 119 registered sex offenders in the city to post a sign at their homes on Halloween night stating, “No candy or treats at this residence.” Councilman Mike Judge proposed the deletion…
Read MoreTeen Girl Admits To Fabricating Story Of Kidnapping, Sexual Assault
In the small community of Oakdale, the word of a sex predator on its streets spread fast. “Everybody was on edge. It was all over town, on Facebook, saying watch your kids cause it is a small town. We’re only 18,000 people,” said resident Stan Johnson. A 16-year-old girl at Oakdale High reported being taken at knifepoint and raped. It was the first alleged sex crime in Oakdale in more than a decade. Full Article
Read MoreJury selection begins for alleged sex offender killer
LAKEPORT — Jury selection is under way for the trial of a Lakeport man accused of killing another man nearly five years ago using information he received from California’s online Megan’s Law sex offender registry. Ivan Garcia Oliver, 34, faces three felonies, including murder, in connection with the November 2007 stabbing death of Michael A. Dodele, 67, who was listed as a sex offender at the time. Full Article
Read MoreO.C. man gets 65 years in sexual assault of 7-year-old girl
A Huntington Beach man was sentenced Friday to 65 years to life in state prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled 7-year-old girl. Daniel Vlas Flores, 30, was found guilty in April of multiple sex crimes against a child, including kidnapping, sodomy and intercourse. His victim only managed to escape because of the efforts of her 8-year-old friend, who managed to get into Flores’ apartment and rescue her. Full Article
Read MoreSanta Ana councilman faces sex assault charges
A Santa Ana city councilman abused his power as a high-ranking county official by targeting and luring at least seven female employees to his office and other locations to hug, kiss and touch them inappropriately over a period of eight years, prosecutors said Tuesday. Carlos Bustamante, a former administration manager at the Orange County public works department, has been charged with a dozen felonies, including attempted sexual battery, stalking, fraud and six counts of false imprisonment. “Each of the victims was afraid that, if they reported the sexual assault, they…
Read MoreUPDATED: Simi Valley set to restrict sex offenders on Halloween
» Updated with CA RSOL Letter to Simi Valley CC « » City Council Meeting Monday, July 16, 6:30 pm « “Each offender would be required to post a sign stating, “No candy or treats at this residence.” – “Council members voiced support for the measure, which will be brought back for adoption at their July 16 meeting.” Simi Valley is on track to become the first city in Ventura County to ban registered sex offenders from having contact with children who are trick-or-treating on Halloween. An ordinance was introduced at…
Read MoreWilmington Residents Gather to Discuss Sex Offenders
WILMINGTON, Calif. (KTLA) — Concerned residents in Wilmington held a community meeting Tuesday to discuss their options to stop sex offenders from moving to town. The residents also wanted to find out why more sex offenders are living in Wilmington than in outlying areas. The city’s zip code is home to at least 177 registered offenders. Compared to numbers of offenders living in nearby zip codes, Wilmington’s amount is remarkably high. Full Article
Read MoreAmerican Sex Offender – A Documentary project in Los Angeles
VIEW THE TRAILER / BACK THIS PROJECT! Synopsis: American Sex Offender is an ambitious, groundbreaking, and unprecedented feature-length documentary film that reveals the untold story of hundreds of thousands of America’s most shunned social outcasts: registered “sex offenders”. By creatively interweaving the human stories of real registrants, expert commentary on America’s unjust and inefficient laws, the filmmaker’s personal story, and shocking cases of punishments that don’t fit the crime; the film challenges the fairness and usefulness of the country’s contemporary sex offender laws and registration systems. Story: Like lepers of…
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