Category: National

TX: Man jailed on sex offender charges found unresponsive, dies in cell at Bexar County Jail

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Source: ktsa.com/ 10/31/22 SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — A 65 year old inmate at the Bexar County Jail found unresponsive in his cell Monday morning has died. It was just after 2 A.M when the inmate was found in his cell by a Deputy conducting face to face checks. Medical staff from University Hospital responded to the call for help and began life saving measures on the man but he was pronounced dead at 30 minutes later. At this point it appears the inmate suffered an episode brought on by…

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Sign the change.org petition: Public Sex Offender Registration is Violation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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Source: Florida Action Committee (FAC) started this petition To: The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the United Nations, Complaint Procedure Unit, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland  Petition to Declare Public Sex Offender Registration in the United States a Violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) The Florida Action Committee, Inc. (FAC) is a 2,500+ member non-profit public safety organization that advocates for the rights of all persons. Included in our membership are people forced to register as sexual offenders in the United States. Today, approximately one-million people in the United States…

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PA: Appeals court rules private housing development cannot bar sex offenders

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Source: mdjonline.com 10/31/22 A state appellate court ruled a private housing development does not have the right to entirely ban registered sex offenders from living within their community. Ruling in a Monroe County case, the state Commonwealth Court said a 2016 restrictive covenant in the Lake Naomi housing community in Tobyhanna Twp. runs afoul of a state regulations that control where registered sex offenders can reside. The case has statewide implications because it marks the first time a state appellate court has addressed whether private homeowner communities must abide by…

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IA: Sheriff spreads lies about why registrants have lower recidivism rate

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Source: qctimes.com 10/29/22 Compliance checks on Scott County registered sex offenders were held Oct. 23, 24, 25 and 26 that led to the arrest of 10 people for registration violations and investigations into seven others, Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane said. … “The ultimate goal of the registry is to eliminate recidivism,” he added. “The recidivism rate for sex offenders is actually lower than it is for other crimes. I attribute that to the hard work of the Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa Department of Corrections.” Read the full article…

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On Halloween, some states take extra safety measures to keep sex offenders away from kids

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Source: cnn.com 10/30/22 As people stock up on Halloween candy, some cities and states are imposing extra measures to make sure sex offenders don’t answer when little ghouls and goblins knock on their doors. In several states, including Georgia and California, some supervised sex offenders are not allowed to have contact with kids under 18. With that in mind, law enforcement agencies are taking steps on Halloween to ensure sex offenders don’t come near trick-or-treaters. “I don’t let my kids roam the neighborhood alone on Halloween for many reasons,” said…

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NV: Las Vegas police partner with smartphone app to show sex offenders in neighborhoods ahead of Halloween

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Source: foxnews.com 10/28/22 Parents can view registered sex offenders’ addresses on the Offender Watch app, which partnered with Las Vegas police The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has partnered with an app that show residents where sex offenders live in their neighborhoods ahead of Halloween. The free app called Offender Watch says on its website that it allows parents to “track your children, map offenders nearby, get alerts if your child is contacted or lingers near an offender’s residence, safety tips, and more.” LVMPD partnered with the app so…

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UT: TRICK OR RETREAT: Why doesn’t Utah have sex offender laws for Halloween?

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Source: abc4.com 10/27/22 SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Several states across the country have different laws limiting what sex offenders can do around children on Halloween. This includes not being allowed to pass out candy, display decorations, dress up in a costume or answer the door to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.   However, Utah does not have any of those laws.   … ABC4 News asked multiple police agencies in Utah how often they see registered sex offenders creating problems on Halloween. Both the West Jordan Police Department and Unified Police…

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NY: Misleading article title stokes Halloween hysteria

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Source: hudsonvalleypost.com 10/28/22 Close to 100 New York sex offenders won’t be on the streets as Hudson Valley children try to enjoy Halloween. Westchester County is trying to make sure local sex offenders are off the streets while children trick-or-treat in the region this Halloween. “When it comes time for trick-or-treaters to knock on doors this Halloween, local sex offenders will once again be attending an Anti-Sexual Abuse Victim Impact Program, designed to keep sex offenders off the streets. The annual program is run by the Westchester County Department of…

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Update: ACSOL Demands End of Halloween Signs for 2 county sheriff’s offices

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ACSOL sent a letter today demanding that the Sheriff in Faulkner County, Arkansas, immediately end a county wide program that requires all registrants in that county to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween.  The letter warns that if this demand is not met, all available legal remedies will be pursued. “Courts have consistently determined that Halloween sign requirements for registrants are unconstitutional,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “That is because the signs are compelled government speech and violate the First Amendment.” The most…

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AR: FCSO warns parents against trick-or-treating certain addresses

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Source: thecabin.net 10/26/22 The Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office is placing door hangers on the doors of sex offenders warning “No Trick-or-Treat at this Address.” The community effort, led by Sex Offender Coordinator Chelsea McDaniel and FCSO Reserve Commander Brian Tyner, is designed to help community members stay safe this Halloween, FCSO spokesman Sherry Skaggs said. Commander Tyner said: “This was an opportunity for the Reserve Unit to take on a mission to improve community safety.” While signs have traditionally been placed on the doors of sex offenders on active probation…

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FL: Florida sheriff’s deputy arrested for sex with teen in youth cadet program

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Source: nypost.com 10/19/22 A Florida sheriff’s deputy was arrested Tuesday for having sex with a teen he supervised in the department’s youth cadet program, including several trysts while on duty, officials said. Bay County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew _____, 21, admitted to sexual relations with the 17-year-old a total of seven times. The agency said _____ acknowledged having illicit contact with the victim while on active police duty. “The Bay County Jr. Deputy and Explorer Program is a program for youth that are interested in law enforcement,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy…

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Polly Klaas’s murder fueled the 90s crime panic. Her sisters fear ‘we’re repeating history’

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Source: theguardian.com 10/22/22 Jess and Annie Nichol want to undo the harsh criminal laws passed after their sister was abducted: ‘We don’t want our pain to be used to punish anyone else’. Annie Nichol was seven years old on 19 March 1994 when she was brought to the White House to talk to Bill Clinton. With a stuffed dolphin by her side, the girl spoke to the president about her 12-year-old sister, Polly Klaas, who had been abducted five months earlier from the family’s home in Petaluma, California, while Annie…

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LA: Lutcher Man Sentenced to for Failure to Report International Travel as a Sex Offender

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Source: justice.gov 10/21/22 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA  U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that WILLIE WALKER, age 56, was sentenced on October 14, 2022 by Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to a probationary term of five years for failure to report international travel as a sex offender under the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). According to court documents, WALKER was convicted in Washington State in 2002 of a sex offense that required him to register as a sex offender for life.  In addition to registering as a sex offender, WALKER was…

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PLF Files Two Motions in SORNA Regulations Case

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The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) this week filed two motions in the pending federal lawsuit challenging SORNA regulations that became effective earlier this year.  One of those motions asked the court to approve the use of pseudonyms for four individuals identified as John Doe #1, John Doe #2, John Doe #3 and John Doe #4.  The court granted that motion one day after it was filed. The second motion is a request for preliminary injunction which would, if granted, stop enforcement of some SORNA regulations.  A hearing for this motion…

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WI: Wisconsin Supreme Court considers dispute over ‘repeat offender’ law

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Source: captimes.com 10/20/22 The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in a case challenging the state’s interpretation of its repeat offender law as it pertains to crimes including sex offenses. At issue is whether multiple convictions stemming from the same criminal complaint warrant classifying someone as a repeat offender. The state argues that should be the case. Its argument relies heavily on a 2017 legal interpretation, issued by then-Attorney General Brad Schimel, of a 2006 state law requiring the state Department of Corrections to place certain sex offenders…

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FL: Jacksonville won’t require sex offenders to post ‘no candy’ signs outside home for Halloween

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Source: news.yahoo.com 10/19/22 A warning to parents planning trick-or-treating routes: The City of Jacksonville will not require registered sex offenders or predators to post a sign outside their home indicating no trick-or-treaters allowed. Typically, on Halloween, registered sex offenders and predators have to post a sign saying “no candy.” The requirement is being challenged by two registered sex offenders who filed a lawsuit against the city, saying the ordinance violates their constitutional rights. Some neighbors Action News Jax spoke with said, they agree. “I think the sign — it’d be…

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Federal Prisons Are Discounting Inmates’ Sexual Assault Allegations Against Officers

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Source: govexec.com 10/13/22 The federal Bureau of Prisons is regularly excluding credible inmate testimony making or corroborating allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against agency employees, according to a new report, which found the informal policy could embolden bad actors to continue their inapprorpiate behavior.   The bureau’s Office of Internal Affairs will only consider inmate testimony when a case is accepted for criminal prosecution or if it is substantiated by video, conclusive forensic evidence or a confession. If a sexual assault allegation against an employee depends on an inmate’s account,…

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