Category: National

TN: From registry to life sentence: Has Tennessee’s sex offender registry gone too far?

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Source: newschannel5.com 8/15/22 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Attorneys have called for a change to the Tennessee sex offender registry they said created an unconstitutional punishment as legislators added more restrictions each year.  Thomas has lived in Nashville almost all his life, but he’s rarely seen beyond work and the occasional grocery store run. Those trips are usually done within 15 minutes of the store closing. Thomas seems to think it’s safer that way, so for that reason, NewsChannel 5 Investigates will stick with first names. It’s life as he’s known…

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TX: A Texas man convicted of child sexual assault died after chugging from a water bottle as the verdict was read

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Source: nbcnews.com 8/12/22 A Texas man charged with five counts of child sexual assault died after a jury convicted him and he chugged a bottle of liquid in the courtroom, his lawyer said Friday. After the first count was read on Thursday afternoon and the Denton County jury returned a guilty verdict, Edward Leclair, 57, started drinking from a plastic water bottle filled with what appeared to be clear liquid, lawyer Mike Howard said. “I looked over and noticed him drinking,” Howard said. “His hand was shaking. At the time,…

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WI: The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has restored a lawsuit over Hartland’s limit on sex offenders

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Source: jsonline.com 8/12/22 A small Wisconsin town’s attempt to ban more sex offenders from living there flunks one of two tests that would make it unconstitutional, a federal appeals court has ruled. The decision sent the matter back to a lower court for argument about the second test, and whether the local law should be thrown out. Hartland adopted an ordinance in 2018 after it felt it had more offenders per capita than other Waukesha County communities. A sex offender who wanted to move there sued, claiming the ordinance amounted to an…

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PA: Licensed Pennsylvania sex therapist defends ‘minor-attracted persons’ in viral video

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Source: foxnews.com 8/11/22 A licensed sex therapist and counselor sparked backlash on social media after posting a video where she appeared to defend “minor-attracted persons.” “They are probably the most vilified population of folks in our culture,” Miranda Galbreath says in the video posted on YouTube titled “Let’s talk about minor-attracted persons.” Galbreath goes on to explain that “most folks” make “incorrect assumptions” about “minor-attracted persons” and those assumptions “create harm for an already marginalized population.” “The term pedophile has moved from being a diagnostic label to being a judgmental,…

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FL: Brevard County sticks by tough ordinance restricting sex offenders

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Source: floridatoday.com 8/8/22 Brevard County commissioners reaffirmed their tough stance toward registered sex offenders by making only making minor changes to a regulation limiting where they can go — even as the measure is being challenged in court. The commission updated section 74 of the county code on Tuesday to allow businesses to register as a park so long as the business is used for recreation and is a place that children regularly visit. That will enable the owner to create a 1,000-foot buffer zone prohibiting any individual on the sex offender registry from visiting…

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FL: FDLE beginning investigation into death of Blackwater Corrections inmate

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Source: yahoo.com 8/3/22 The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating an inmate’s death at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility. FDLE’s Special Agent in Charge Chris Williams told the News Journal the agency is investigating the death of 35-year-old Andrew Thompson, but could not provide further information. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Thompson died on July 27. Thompson was arrested in March 2021 and was sentenced to 45 years in prison on April 4, 2022, after pleading no contest to 12 counts of possessing child pornography and one…

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PA: Court upholds sex offender registration as constitutional

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Source: huntingdondailynews.com 8/3/22 An attempt by a Petersburg man to be released from lifetime sexual offender registration failed last month when Pennsylvania’s Superior Court asserted registration is a “non-punitive, collateral consequence of his conviction” and not a violation of his constitutional rights. … According to the decision issued by the Superior Court in Howard’s case, Howard argued lifetime registration is “cruel and unusual punishment” and therefore violates his constitutional rights as outlined in the U.S. Constitution’s 8th Amendment. In its decision, written by the state Judge Alice Beck Dubow, the…

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IL: Plan moves ahead to create Joliet park too close for sex offenders to remain in their apartments

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Source: shawlocal.com 8/4/22 The city of Joliet is about to become the owner of a fire-damaged house acquired for the strategic purpose of forcing out registered sex offenders who live a block away. The Joliet City Council on Tuesday approved the acquisition of the unoccupied house at 1000 N. Center St. at a price of $124,000. City officials, siding with Cunningham neighborhood residents alarmed about an apartment house that has been converted to living quarters for a half-dozen registered sex offenders, say they intend to build a park on the…

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TN: Tennessee nurses push for new law to add protection from sex offenders

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Source: wkrn.com 8/4/22 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nurses in Nashville are hoping to put a new bill on the books that would add another layer of protection against registered sex offenders. “We face anything from any gross sexual comments, people have been threatened, and unfortunately, they have been trapped in a room where the patient has been a wall between the door and the nurse themselves, so it’s scary,” said nurse Ciearria. She asked News 2, not to reveal where she works but says sexual harassment has become a constant.…

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NC: ‘Operation Simon Says’: Authorities conduct sex offender compliance op in Union County area

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Source: fox46.com 8/3/22 MONROE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Law enforcement officers conducted a “large-scale sex offender operation” around Union County late last month to ensure that convicted sex offenders in the area were in compliance with state laws, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Officials said teams from UCSO, the U.S. Marshals Service and the NC Department of Public Safety conducted compliance checks on around 75 convicted sex offenders. Out of the 75 offenders, authorities said 53 were in full compliance with their registration, residential and personal restrictions…

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IL: Former B-N piano teacher sentenced to life in 2nd sexual assault case

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https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2022-08-01/former-b-n-piano-teacher-sentenced-to-life-in-2nd-sex-assault-caseSource: wglt.org 8/1/22 A former piano teacher serving 450 years for sexual assault of one of his students was sentenced to life in prison Monday for similar charges related to a second student. Aaron ____ , 41, was convicted in April in connection with an ongoing sexual relationship with a minor girl that lasted years and began when she was a minor. The life term handed down by Judge Casey Costigan is in addition to the 450 years Aaron received in January, also given by Costigan. Read the full article…

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NY: New York Enacts Revival Statutes, Renewing Expired Claims for Sexual Assault

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Source: weil.com 8/2/22 In 2019, the state of New York passed legislation extending the statute of limitations for civil causes of action for certain sex offenses from three years to 20 years. However, that law was prospective only. Now, New York is providing recourse for sexual assault survivors whose civil claims have expired. On May 24, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) into law. A so-called “revival statute,” the ASA provides a one year window for adult sexual assault survivors to bring otherwise time-barred…

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FL: WESH 2 Investigates allegations of sex offenders being allowed to vote

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Source: wesh.com 8/1/22 Morris ___ lives in Poinciana. Elections office records indicate he’s “eligible to vote in Osceola County.” His status is “active,” meaning he can vote next month and this November in Osceola County and in the 2020 general election, he did vote. Morris is also a registered sex offender. Because of this, he should be ineligible to vote under Florida law. WESH 2 checked online with the executive office of clemency, under Morris’s name and prison ID number. It confirms his civil rights have not been restored. By…

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KS: Kansas Supreme Court Holds Registration Violation is a Strict Liability Crime

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Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 7/31/22 Not knowing you have to register something or not having the mental capacity to understand how to register is not a defense to a registration violation according to the Supreme Court of Kansas. A person required to register in Kansas was convicted of a failure to register offense. He was required to report quarterly, every May, August, November, and February, plus changes.On September 18, he went in to report a change of phone number. He went in again on October 9 to report an address change. But…

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RealPage incorrect sex offender data $9.73M class action lawsuit settlement

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Source: topclassactions.com 7/28/22 RealPage agreed to pay over $9.73 million to resolve claims that it violated the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by allowing incorrect sex offender registry data on tenant screening reports. The class action lawsuit settlement benefits individuals who were subject to a RealPage report between June 14, 2017, and March 2, 2021, where the report included a record from a sex offender registry with the record matching the report subject based on the birth date range, but where further review shows a differing birth date. RealPage…

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IN: VCSO: Man says he shot a sex offender

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Source: tristatehomepage.com 7/28/22 VANDERBURGH CO., Ind. (WEHT) – The man accused of shooting and killing another man on Maggie Valley Drive in Vanderburgh County apparently did so because he thought the man he shot was a sex offender. Ricky Allen Kiper Jr. was arrested Wednesday and charged with the murder of James Christopher McClernon.  An autopsy shows McClernon died of multiple gunshot wounds. According to court documents Kiper showed up at a home where McClernon was staying around 3:00 Wednesday afternoon.  The documents go on to say Kiper, McClernon and…

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FL: CALL TO ACTION: Brevard County Commission Meeting

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Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 7/27/22 The agenda for the forthcoming Brevard County Commission meeting has been posted and they WILL be discussing the amendment to their sexual offender/sexual predator ordinance. We are calling upon members to appear at the Commission meeting to speak against the ordinance and show support for the other members who will speak against it. The meeting will take place on August 2, 2022, 5:00 PM, at 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, FL 32940 This is our opportunity to show up and speak out, please, please, please do…

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