TN: The plea deal _____ didn’t take in Vanderbilt rape case, and why

Prosecutors offered ____ a 10-year prison sentence if he pleaded guilty and avoided a fourth trial in the rape of an unconscious Vanderbilt University student four years ago, ____’ lawyer said Saturday. ____ didn’t take it. Going to trial was worth the risk of a longer prison term, defense lawyer Mark Scruggs said, because ____ hoped to avoid a lifetime position on the state’s sex offender registry. And on that part of the deal, the state wouldn’t budge. Full Article

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MN: Even Sex Offenders Have Constitutional Rights

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that a North Carolina preventing sex offenders from accessing social media and other websites – without any attempt to tailor restrictions to potential contact with minors – violated the First Amendment. But restrictions on the freedom of speech aren’t the only unconstitutional deprivations sex offenders face. Full Article

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IL: Rankings considered for sex offenders

Authorities are working to get a handle on the problem of sex offenders in the state. A state-run task force could change the way the state manages registered sex offenders, but it won’t be easy to get everyone on board. One of the main items on the agenda is creating a ranking system. It would be a way to label non-violent offenders who pose no threat to children to those who do. It’s a controversial and ongoing debate. Full Article

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Justice Alito’s misleading claim about sex offender rearrests

“Repeat sex offenders pose an especially grave risk to children. ‘When convicted sex offenders reenter society, they are much more likely than any other type of offender to be rearrested for a new rape or sexual assault.’” –Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., concurring opinion in Packingham v. North Carolina, June 19, 2017 Full Article Video Related Fact-Checking the Fact Checker A misdirected attack on two notable sentences in Justice Alito’s Packingham concurrence

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SCOTUS Rules Justly in Packingham Case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that a North Carolina law which prohibits all registrants from accessing commercial social networking websites used by minor children violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “This is a tremendous victory for the registrants of North Carolina as well as registrants throughout the nation,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized for the first time that registrants have First Amendment rights including the use of social media websites including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.” In its decision, the…

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SC: ‘Skinhead’ said God told him to kill sex offenders, wanted conviction tossed out

An unapologetic white supremacist serving three life sentences for killing two people in 2013 was denied a new trial Friday. He claimed God told him to kill sex offenders. Jeremy Moody, 34, of Union County, pleaded guilty in May 2014 to two counts of murder, burglary, kidnapping and other charges. He later filed a post conviction relief lawsuit claiming his court-appointed lawyers should have done more in the case to explore his mental illness. Moody asked for the convictions to be tossed out. Full Article

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AR: Salesville, resident at impasse over sex offender sign, Nazi flags

A large sign identifying a sex offender — and apparently the controversial flags the resident has reportedly displayed in protest — will not be coming down, Mayor Tim Mayfield told a concerned businessman Tuesday night. The sign, maintained by the city and sitting in front of the Salesville Fire Department, identifies Charles Wade Floyd as a Level 4 sex offender and lists his address. Floyd, reportedly as a form of protest against the sign, has three Nazi flags and two Confederate flags displayed on his property along AR Hwy. 177…

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One Strike and You’re Out: Is Redemption Possible for Luke Heimlich?

Luke Heimlich made this week after a missed registration deadline presented the Oregonian with an opportunity to revisit his past misdeed. Until his past was dredged up, Luke, a rising college baseball player, was slated to be a first day pick for the major league amateur draft. Predictably, there was immediate backlash with people crucifying Luke for his supposed duplicity and calling for more punishment. Then on Friday, Luke released a statement in which he excused himself from playing in the super regionals. The extremely harsh public reaction to Luke’s…

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