Source: courthousenews.com 9/14/23 But the ruling only applies to the man who brought the case, since he did not file a class action. (CN) — Although he declined to grant class-wide relief, a federal judge determined Thursday that disclosure of online aliases chilled sex offenders’ ability to communicate freely, and also pointed out Connecticut has yet to use the law to prevent or detect any criminal activity. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Meyer, a Barack Obama appointee, acknowledged at the outset of his opinion that Connecticut General Statutes 54-251(a) and 54-253(b)…
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PA: Efficacy of sex offender residency rules questioned in Pa. House hearing
Source: pennlive.com 9/12/23 A bill that would restrict where certain sex offenders could live in Pennsylvania got a skeptical reception at a House hearing on Tuesday, with discussion centering around whether such measures actually increase public safety. The House Judiciary Committee held an informational session Tuesday on House Bill 77, which would require that anyone who has been adjudicated as a “sexually violent predator” under Pennsylvania’s sex crimes law could not live within 2,500 feet of a school or child care center. Although judges can impose residency restrictions on a…
Read MoreOK: Henryetta families advocate for life sentences for child sex crimes
Source: news9.com 9/11/23 The families of two of the girls murdered in Henryetta want stricter laws for convicted sex offenders. The families are calling it “Knight’s Law”- after Henryetta’s school mascot. There are 13 laws they would like to see passed as part of their “Knight’s Law” push. The main one is anyone convicted of a sex crime against a child would be sentenced to life in prison without parole. … If passed, these laws would mean more jail time for anyone convicted of sex crimes against children, notify people…
Read MoreFAC and MCARE present to UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva Switzerland
Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 9/11/23 Dear Members and Advocates [of Florida Action Committee] , In September 2022, our Florida Action Committee president, Gail Colletta, filed a Complaint with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva Switzerland, entitled “PETITION TO THE UNITED NATIONS TO INVESTIGATE THE UNITED STATES’ SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY AS A VIOLATION OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.“. … Specifically, for FAC, Gail Colletta will be addressing 1) the need to remove residency restrictions, 2) the UN Complaint filed last year, and 3) an update on the change.org petition…
Read MoreTX: FBI sting for an ‘experienced sadist’ who would be paid $6,000 to ‘break’ a young woman
Source: dailymail.co.uk 9/11/23 The California sommelier found guilty of flying to Texas to ‘break’ a young woman for sex work was living with a married couple and engaged in a three-way relationship where he’d openly sleep with and torment the man’s wife, sources tell DailyMail.com. The 37-year-old married mother Ian Justin Ranney, 35, had been living with was too traumatized to discuss her own relationship with the now-convicted felon. ‘I have a family and I’m not interested in dredging anything more up,’ she told DailyMail.com. DailyMail.com can also reveal that Ranney,…
Read MoreCT: ‘Just existing, not living’: CT residents retroactively added to sex offense registry seek reprieve
Source: ctmirror.org 9/10/23 Twenty-five years after Connecticut required them to register as “sex offenders” ex post facto, they hope the legislature will soon take action. During counseling programs he’s attended throughout adulthood, Aaron Kearney has been told not to let mistakes define him and not to let the past hijack his future. But for a quarter-century, the 52-year-old has worn a label making it burdensome to live up to those ideals: “registered sex offender.” “The only thing I feel is that I’m just existing. I’m not living,” said Kearney, on…
Read MoreCO: Musician who called out alleged sexual predators online for years pleads guilty to attempted sexual assault on a minor
Source: westword.com 9/6/23 Ross _______, a political activist and onetime prominent member of the local punk music scene, has spent years using the internet to call out alleged perpetrators of sexual assault — and anyone who associates with them. But this summer, _______ himself was convicted of attempted sexual assault on a minor, and a condition of his probation sentence had him kicked off the internet. … On September 23, 2022, _______ began sending messages to a person he thought was a fourteen-year-old girl named _______, according to a Jefferson…
Read MoreMI: Macomb County prosecutor appeals sex assault case to U.S. Supreme Court
Source: detroitnews.com 9/8/34 The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office is appealing a case to the U.S. Supreme Court after a new trial was awarding to a man previously convicted of sexual assault. The Michigan Supreme Court found the Macomb County Circuit Court violated Anthony ____’s Constitutional rights during his jury trial for sexual assault when the judge closed the courtroom during the child victim’s testimony without putting specific reasons for the closure on the record. The court sent the case back to Macomb County for a new trial for ____. Lucido…
Read MoreWarner Music bashed for signing record deal with ‘creepy’ AI pop star with the body of a ‘12 year old’
Source: nypost.com 9/8/23 Warner Music faced backlash over sexualizing its newest artist — a “creepy” artificial intelligence-generated pop star named Noonoouri who wants “to make a 12 year old look sexy.” The record label made history by signing the first AI musician and released a debuting single, “Dominoes,” on Sept. 1 — accompanied by a nearly 3-minute music video of the blue-haired Noonoouri prancing in a bikini from Kim Kardashians Skims collection. The virtual influencer was created in 2018 by 43-year-old German graphic designer Joerg Zuber, who conceived Noonoouri as…
Read MoreID: State ordered to pay more than $319,000 to wrongfully incarcerated Idaho man forced to register
Source: idahocapitalsun.com 9/8/23 The state of Idaho must pay more than $319,000 to an innocent man who was wrongfully incarcerated for five years and nine months. The funding is made possible through the Wrongful Conviction Act, which the Legislature passed in 2021. Compensation only goes to people who were incarcerated and later are found factually innocent. Joseph LaCroix was wrongfully convicted on Oct. 3, 2017, in Bonneville County of failing to register as a sex offender, a felony crime. On March 8, the District Court found that LaCroix was innocent,…
Read MoreTX: Judicial Clemency Does Not Forgive Sex Offender Registration
Source: thecrimereport.org 9/7/23 In a 6-3 decision Ex parte Danny Richard Lane, the state’s highest criminal appeals court ruled that Texas’ historical doctrine of “judicial clemency” does not forgive sex offender registration. The Texas Legislature in 1965 created this doctrine which gives a trial court the authority to, after a defendant has successfully completed the terms of probation, “set aside the verdict or permit the defendant to withdraw his plea, and shall dismiss the accusation, complaint, information or indictment against such defendant, who shall thereafter be released from all penalties…
Read MoreVT: Remorseless murderer killed former registrant and mom as a jail retirement plan
Source: berkshireeagle.com 9/7/23 BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — A man accused of killing a 79-year-old Whitingham, Vt., woman and her 52-year-old son by shooting them in their home on Route 8A is being held without bail. Christopher D. Ellis, 54, pleaded not guilty through his attorney Wednesday to two counts of first-degree murder and an additional charge of operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. He was arraigned in Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division. Judge John Treadwell ordered Ellis held without bail. Treadwell said the court would not schedule a weight of…
Read MoreIL: ‘I Call It Pretend Freedom’: Older Adults Coming Out of Illinois Prisons Face Steep Roadblocks in Their Reentry Journey
Source: goodmenproject.com 9/7/23 At least 17,000 adults age 50 and older have been released from Illinois prisons since 2014, and thousands more are in line to come out soon. Older adults are less likely to reoffend than their younger counterparts but face more hurdles to successful reentry. Before he was released from prison, Bob Covelli told everyone he knew the three things he wanted most once he got out: a job, an apartment, and a kitten. “I’m less anxious, and I’m less angry when I hear a cat purring,” he…
Read MoreVA: Wrongfully convicted man says “Being on the registry itself has been a death sentence” and wants more restitution money
Source: wsls.com 9/6/23 MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – David Kingrea lives in rural Montgomery County with his wife, Michelle, and their son, Dylan. David’s life hasn’t always been that simple. In 2011, his life was flipped upside down when his ex-girlfriend’s son accused David of sexually abusing him. “We had a very bad relationship to say, but nevertheless I never would have thought that this would even never come up,” said David. From the day David was arrested for the alleged crimes, he maintained his innocence. “It was their word versus…
Read MoreAZ: Calls for vice mayor’s resignation for allowing a registered sex offender to stay at her house
Source: azcentral.com 9/5/23 A crowded and contentious meeting is expected at Peoria City Hall Tuesday night as residents plan to weigh in on Mayor Jason Beck and the City Council’s request for Vice Mayor Denette Dunn to resign. Dunn was asked to resign after the Peoria Police Department released a report last week that showed a longtime friend of hers, who is a registered sex offender, had intermittently stayed at her house the past year, potentially in violation of state law. The police alleged the man should have registered Dunn’s…
Read MoreSupreme Court asked to decide the limits of violations of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on “unreasonable searches”
Source: usatoday.com 9/5/23 The problem for Nero the police dog began when he put his paws on the door of a car that had been pulled over after the driver swerved across three lanes. By all accounts, the Belgian Malinois did his job, sniffing out a pill bottle and a plastic bag that contained meth residue – evidence that ultimately allowed police in Idaho to get a warrant and charge the driver, Kirby Dorff, with felony drug possession. But the paws Nero placed on the driver side door as he…
Read MoreTX: Court Blocks Texas Law Aimed at Protecting Children From Online Porn
Source: theepochtimes.com 9/3/23 A federal judge in Texas has blocked a state law seeking to impose age requirements on adult websites, claiming the bill violates the First Amendment and is a threat to privacy. Texas’ HB 1181 (pdf) requires adult sites to verify the age of visitors to ensure they are 18 years of age or older. It was signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott on June 12 and was set to come into effect on Sept. 1. On Aug. 4, a lawsuit (pdf) was filed against the legislation, arguing that…
Read MoreNC: Nash County father goes to police for help, then they charged his 10-year-old daughter for having nude photos of herself on phone
Source: wral.com 9/2/23 A Rocky Mount man told WRAL News his 10-year-old daughter was charged with a felony for having nude pictures of herself on her cellphone. The county’s district attorney said it’s a charge he’s never seen brought against a child before. The father said he now has concerns about how the charge will impact his daughter’s future. The father said his now 11-year-old daughter is a normal kid who likes basketball, drawing and spending time with family. Read the full article
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