WA: Two sex offenders shot dead by Patrick Drum – Wife of one speaks out (Video)

PORT ANGELES, Washington — The wife of a convicted sex offender who was targeted and killed over the weekend said Tuesday she’s sickened by people who have called the man accused in the crime a hero. Gary Blanton was one of two sex offenders shot and killed by Patrick Drum in Clallam County, investigators said. Full Article [hana-flv-player video=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBYsNGrOlwE” width=”360″ description=”” player=”5″ autoload=”true” autoplay=”false” loop=”false” autorewind=”true” /] Original Video

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OK: Convicted sex offender fights for rights

OKLAHOMA CITY — Convicted sex offenders are prohibited from using Facebook, Linkedin in and other social media outlets. Law makers say the goal is to deter predators from easily finding new victims but others say it’s unconstitutional. Denishio Cook is a convicted sex offender. That’s not the label this former OSU football player thought he would wear the rest of his life. Instead of the “OS” on his letterman jacket, he’s now bearing the scarlet letters “SO” after pleading guilty to raping a teen more than a decade ago. Full…

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TX: Life On the List

A single mistake when he was 12 landed Josh Gravens on Texas’ sex offender list. He’s been paying for it ever since. When Josh Gravens was 12 years old, he made a terrible mistake. He and his sister, who was 8, had sexual contact, twice. “Like, where my body part touched her body part,” he says. “It was never penetrative. Obviously, it couldn’t have been what they call consensual, but it was playing.” Josh’s sister told their mother, who was alarmed. She wanted to ensure that, even if Josh’s intentions…

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IN: Sex offenders fight for right to use Facebook, LinkedIn

INDIANAPOLIS — Registered sex offenders who have been banned from social networking websites are fighting back in the nation’s courts, successfully challenging many of the restrictions as infringements on free speech and their right to participate in common online discussions. The legal battles pit public outrage over sex crimes against cherished guarantees of individual freedom and the far-reaching communication changes brought by Facebook, LinkedIn and dozens of other sites. Full Article

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OK: Gov. Mary Fallin signs Oklahoma sex offender bill

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Gov. Mary Fallin has signed legislation that bans registered sex offenders from living with minor children. Fallin signed the measure into law on Tuesday. Its author, Rep. Mike Sanders, says it will help protect Oklahoma children. Previously, state law didn’t prohibit a sex offender from living with a minor child. Sanders says he was surprised to learn that a sex offender was living with a child in his district. Full Article From HB NO. 3049 – Section 590 B.  It shall be unlawful for any person…

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TX: Registered sex offender wins election in small Texas town

The controversy surrounding city elections in a town in the Texas Panhandle continues. That’s because one of the newly elected city council members has a checkered past. A pair of two-year terms on Skellytown’s city council were up for grabs Saturday. The results are in now and not everyone is happy. That’s because one of those spots is now being filled by a man who is a former mayor forced to resign. He is also a registered sex offender. Full Article

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IL: Charges Dropped Against Man Who Served 20 Years for Rape

Lake County prosecutors on Tuesday dropped sexual assault charges against a man accused in a decades-old Waukegan rape. “I’m feeling great,” said Bennie Starks. “The fight is not over yet. We still have one more hurdle, but it’s a great day.” Starks, convicted in 1986 of assaulting a 68-year-old woman, had served 20 years of a 60-year sentence when DNA evidence was retrieved that excluded him from the crime. Full Article

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Missouri House passes sex offender bill

JEFFERSON CITY • The Missouri House is sending a bill to the Senate that could drastically cut back the state’s sex offender registry rolls. After giving initial approval Tuesday night, the chamber took a second vote on the issue Thursday, advancing it to the other chamber. House Bill 1700 received near unanimous and overwhelmingly bi-partisan support in the Republican-controlled House. Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/missouri-house-passes-sex-offender-bill/article_4353f458-789d-11e1-a594-001a4bcf6878.html#ixzz1v6k7D0Hk

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Let Them Live With the Other Large Reptiles: The Failure of Residency Restrictions

America has a lot of harsh laws against sex offenders that shame and banish this unpopular group. Miami sends them to live in the swamps with the poisonous snakes and boa constrictors. Georgia bars them from living or working within 1,000 feet of a school bus stop. Pretty much the whole state is off limits for employment or domicile. California bans them from living in just about any of the cities. Those laws are under serious legal challenge, and the Georgia bus stop code is on hold pending the outcome…

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Mothers of sex offenders share responsibility, burden of label

(CNN) — Christine Smith will never forget the moment she watched her 21-year-old son being led out of a Florida courtroom in handcuffs. “This is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening,” she recalls thinking at the time. “Take me instead.” She sobbed because there was nothing she could do. Matthew, the second of her three children, was going to prison after pleading guilty to 10 counts of possession of child pornography. A judge in Duval County sentenced him in April 2010 to 18 months in state…

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MI: ‘Romeo’ not cleared, gets life on list

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – He was a poster child for what was wrong with Michigan’s sex offender registry — a teen on the list for a one-night stand with an under-age girl. Then, the state passed sweeping reforms to the sex offender list,  and it appeared Rick McQuillin’s name would be erased, and his life would change. A year later, Target 8 found his life has changed — for the worse.   Full Article

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Sex Offender at 12, Punished For Life

When Kevin was 12 years old he was slapped with a felony. His school’s principal caught him and his 10 year old friend sexually experimenting in the boy’s bathroom. He says it was consensual, that he wasn’t trying to hurt anyone, but Kevin was branded as a Level Two sex offender. His name and photo went up on Lewis County’s sex offender website and his life became a living hell. Full Article

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