The state’s highest court has rejected a challenge to the state law that requires GPS monitoring during probation for people convicted of certain sex offenses involving a child. The court said the law gave judges no discretion on whether to impose the GPS monitoring during probation, and the Legislature had good reasons for enacting the law. Full Article
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FL: Air Force aiding Florida police in sex stings
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Not only have Central Florida law enforcement officers violated federal rules in conducting “To Catch a Predator”-inspired sex stings, but WTSP in Tampa has learned they may also violate longstanding federal law that prohibits the use of military resources to enforce state laws. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Mankato attorney steeped in sex offender controversy
MANKATO — As an attorney for dozens of sex offenders and a member of a high-profile panel to guide lawmakers and the courts, Ryan Magnus has a unique view of Minnesota’s sex offender quandary. When Magnus, a defense attorney with Mankato-based Jones and Magnus, looks at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program, he doesn’t only see the worst of the worst. He sees people who only committed crimes as juveniles, before they mentally matured. It’s too soon to reliably guess if they’ll re-offend as adults. The poster child for these cases…
Read MoreMT: Under the radar: More than half of all sex offenders on the registry still lack a tier level
In Montana, sex offenders are supposed to receive a 1, 2 or 3 tier designation, effectively telling the public how dangerous they are. An offender’s designation also affects how they’re supervised on the registry. It affects how often they have to check in and verify their address, how long they have to register and the amount of information that’s made available to the public. But that rule has become the exception. A Gazette examination found that more than half of all sex offenders on the registry didn’t have a tier level…
Read MoreVA: Parents turn in 13-year-old daughter over nude pics on cell, tablet
DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. — A Dinwiddie mother got a nasty shock when she went through her daughter’s cell phone and tablet. The pictures she discovered were so disturbing that she turned the girl in to sheriff’s deputies. The parents discovered their 13-year-old daughter, who is about to enter the eighth-grade, had been sending and receiving naked pictures of other teens using her tablet. … The parents said that they called in the sheriff’s office to protect their daughter even though she could face criminal charges. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Non-Sex Crime May Trigger Management, Panel Says
The state may initiate civil management proceedings against a sex offender who, while on supervised release, committed a non-sex crime, a state appeals panel has held. Full Article
Read MoreOR: Convicted rapist driving Pacific City’s only cab divides tourist town
PACIFIC CITY — The white-stenciled lettering on the side of the maroon minivan advertised ____ ____’s business, the only cab in this tiny tourist town. He shuttled people home from watering holes late at night, drove surfers and fishermen to the beach and delivered locals to doctor’s appointments in nearby Lincoln City. Full Article
Read MorePA: Mandatory minimum sentences are ‘unconstitutional,’ court says
Locals charged with crimes involving drugs, guns or sex abuse could be due relief at sentencing, according to a high-court ruling. A Pennsylvania Superior Court opinion has deemed mandatory minimum sentences “unconstitutional,” a ruling which could have major impact on countless cases here and across the state. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Housing Restrictions Keep Sex Offenders in Prison Beyond Release Dates
Dozens of sex offenders who have satisfied their sentences in New York State are being held in prison beyond their release dates because of a new interpretation of a state law that governs where they can live. The law, which has been in effect since 2005, restricts many sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school. Those unable to find such accommodations often end up in homeless shelters. Full Article
Read MoreOK: Program treats juvenile sex offenders as kids, not criminals
OKLAHOMA CITY – Sex offender. The phrase conjures pariahs living under bridges. Adults “grooming” children for devastating abuse. Violent men who take what is not freely given. Broken people. And yet, here comes Tyler, bounding down the hall with his dusty blonde Justin Bieber haircut and chunky sneakers. He turned 16 today. He and his family have just come from Chuck E. Cheese. Tyler’s mom smiles as she tells the other parents in her support and education group at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, “Teenagers can regress back to…
Read MoreTX: Sounding Off – East Dallas readers weigh in on boundaries for sex offenders
The Dallas City Council has expressed interest in prohibiting sex offenders from living near schools, parks and other kid-friendly areas. The idea, which is being pushed by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and is backed by the Dallas Police Department, would create a buffer zone, though specifics have not been determined. There are more than 3,300 registered sex offenders living in Dallas. Full Article
Read MoreAZ: Kindergartner is a sex offender? Really?
As we begin another school year, it is reassuring to know that Arizona’s educators are on the prowl, ever on the lookout for sexual predators who may be lurking among our children. The perverts, the flashers, the five years olds …Wait … what? It seems a five-year-old Surprise boy was on the playground last spring when suddenly he pulled his pants down. The kid was hauled to the office and forced to sign a form that essentially labeled him a budding sex fiend. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Officers accused of bending rules on sex sting arrests
BARTOW, Fla. — In the decade since Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator segments popularized Internet sex stings, more than 1,200 men in Florida have been arrested, accused of preying on underage teens and children for sex. But as the stings put more and more men behind bars, detectives are working harder and harder to keep up their arrest numbers. And the tactics they’re using to put alleged sexual offenders in jail are sweeping up large numbers of law-abiding men, too. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Research won’t support Dallas proposal that amounts to housing ban for sex offenders
In saner times, what Josh Gravens did would be called “playing doctor” or “adolescent curiosity.” General embarrassment and a stern talking-to would have followed. And that would have been the end of it. But in this age of hysteria, the childhood misdeed will never end for Josh. And now the city of Dallas considers making it worse by declaring a great majority of the city off limits for him to live. By extension, that would mean his wife and five children, too. Full Opinion Piece From the same author: Kids are…
Read MoreWA: Sex offenders arrested in Pasco’s Peanuts Park say they didn’t know it is a park
Two high-risk sex offenders stopped in downtown Pasco’s Peanuts Park on the same day claimed they didn’t know the one-acre concrete plaza is a designated city park. Full Article Photo View of Peanuts Park
Read MoreFL: Officers bend rules to boost sex sting arrest totals
POLK COUNTY, Florida – In the decade since Chris Hansen and “To Catch a Predator” popularized Internet sex stings, more than 1,200 men in Florida alone have been arrested, accused of preying on underage teens and children for sex. But as the stings put more and more men behind bars, detectives are working harder and harder to keep up their arrest numbers. And the tactics they’re using to put alleged sexual offenders in jail are sweeping up large numbers of law-abiding men, too. Full Article
Read MoreWI: De Pere, Allouez take different paths on sex offenders
One issue, but two outcomes. Elected leaders in two Green Bay area communities Tuesday night took distinctively different positions on where convicted sex offenders can live. Major restrictions are now official in Allouez, but just to the south in De Pere leaders turned down a proposed rule on the same issue. While leaders in both communities have different views on the issue, they agree the state should set a common standard. Full Article Related http://www.wbay.com/story/26207456/2014/08/05/update-communities-differ-on-sex-offender-ordinances http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/2014/08/06/de-pere-rejects-sex-offender-residency-ordinance/13660239/ http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/2014/08/05/allouez-moves-block-sex-offenders/13652389/
Read MoreNY: New Law – Sex Offenders Need Not Apply
A new law prohibiting anyone with previous sex offense convictions from becoming a volunteer firefighter is an important advancement, but will not drastically change the firefighter vetting process, several area fire chiefs said Tuesday. The legislation prevents registered sex offenders from joining or remaining members of volunteer fire and ambulance companies by requiring applicants to submit to background checks for prior sex offense convictions, according to a Monday announcement from State Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, who sponsored the bill. Full Article
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