Category: National

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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FL: Police cameras show confusion, anger over DeSantis’ voter fraud arrests

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Source: tampabay.com 10/18/22 TALLAHASSEE — When police went to arrest Tony Patterson outside his Tampa home in August, he couldn’t believe the reason. “What is wrong with this state, man?” Patterson protested as he was being escorted to a police car in handcuffs. “Voter fraud? Y’all said anybody with a felony could vote, man.” Body-worn camera footage recorded by local police captured the confusion and outrage of Hillsborough County residents who found themselves in handcuffs for casting a ballot following investigations by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new Office of Election Crimes…

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UT: Utah Court of Appeals reverses sex offender’s conviction, claiming state failed to prosecute case for 2 years

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Source: fox13now.com 10/17/22 SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Court of Appeals has reversed a sex offender’s conviction after they say prosecutors failed to notify him they’d charged him or were prosecuting him. In to a 74-page document filed by the Utah Court of Appeals on Friday, Judge Ryan Harris said the appellant, Chad Hintze, wasn’t made aware of a charge against him for two years. The charge, according to the documents, stemmed from an incident in June of 2016 in which Hintze and a teenage girl were eating and…

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MS: George, Greene counties recognized for keeping sex offenders 100% compliant

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Source: wkrg.com 10/14/22 GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WKRG) – Employees from the Sheriff’s offices in both George and Greene counties were recently recognized for their work to keep all registered sex offenders in their jurisdictions compliant with state law. “[Citizens] should definitely be proud of these counties. They are really working hard to ensure that their communities are as safe as possible and everyone is aware of the registered offenders in their area,” said registry director Megan Costilow. Most sex offenders must re-register and update their address every three months. Each…

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WA: U Washington students defend themselves from potential sex offender threat following assaults near campus

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Source: foxnews 10/13/22 Students at the University of Washington are sounding the alarm on the handful of registered sex offenders who live near the Seattle campus, which has recently been plagued by crime.  “I ordered two things of pepper spray, and my parents keep texting me asking about how my individual room locks, and if there is bars on my basement window,” student Jacqueline Niles told Fox 13.    The University District of Seattle, which surrounds UW’s campus, has seen repeated instances of crime in recent weeks, including a shooting…

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NY: No jail time for Cuba Gooding Jr. in forcible touching case

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Source: nbcnews.com 10/13/22 Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. resolved his New York City forcible touching case Thursday with a guilty plea to a lesser charge and no jail time after complying with the terms of a conditional plea agreement reached in April. Prosecutor Coleen Balbert said Gooding has stayed out of trouble and completed six months of alcohol and behavior modification counseling, allowing him to withdraw his misdemeanor plea and plead guilty to a harassment violation. Balbert said she has received “positive reports for the last six months” from Gooding’s therapist. The actor…

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MI: Jury Convicts Man For Vile Act With Elmo Doll

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Source: thesmokinggun.com 10/12/22 A jury yesterday convicted a Michigan man of aggravated indecent exposure for using a Tickle Me Elmo doll to masturbate while he was inspecting a residence on behalf of a potential purchaser. Kevin ____, 60, was found guilty of the misdemeanor following a one-day trial in Oakland County Circuit Court. The jury acquitted ____  of malicious destruction of property, also a misdemeanor. Judge Phyllis McMillen scheduled ____’s sentencing for December 2. The indecent exposure count carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $2000…

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Amended Complaint Filed in SORNA Regulations Lawsuit

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Source: ACSOL An amended complaint was filed in federal district court yesterday in the lawsuit challenging SORNA regulations which became effective in January 2022.  The amended complaint adds three plaintiffs using the pseudonyms “John Does 2, 3 and 4.”  The amended complaint also includes the two original plaintiffs —  John Doe 1 and ACSOL.  According to the amended complaint, John Does 1 through 3 are no longer required to register in the states in which they currently reside, however, they are required to register under SORNA.  John Doe 4 is…

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