Category: National

FL: As sex offenders around Tampa Bay age, where will they go for nursing care?

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Source: tampabay.com 6/9/22 John ___ spends his hours in a shed-sized room in St. Petersburg. Wipes, hospital dressing gowns and diapers are stocked haphazardly along narrow wooden shelves. John ’s feet, propped up on a large camel-colored reclining chair where he lies, are cracked and yellow. The recliner engulfs the cramped room, its edges almost touching the walls. A fly flits greedily about his motionless body. “I’m probably going to die here in my house,” he said. John, 75, had a stroke in 2013 that left him partially paralyzed. But…

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Federal Lawsuit Claims Former Public Defender Committed Legal Malpractice

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A lawsuit was filed today in federal district court that claims an attorney formerly employed by the Contra Costa county public defender’s office committed legal malpractice when he recommended that an 18-year-old high school student plead no contest to an allegation of forcible rape that was not supported by physical evidence.  That attorney is a current judge in Contra Costa Superior Court. After the student entered that plea, he was released from jail but was required to register as a sex offender for more than 22 years.  During that time,…

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FL: Martin County sheriff wants to push out registrants who were pushed out of other counties

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Source: wptv.com 6/7/22 MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Martin County commissioners Tuesday will consider expanding the distance registered sex offenders in the county have to live from playgrounds, schools and day care centers. Current registered sex offenders living in the county would be grandfathered into the new rule, if it is approved. Sheriff William Snyder is asking the county to change the requirement from 1,000 feet to 2,500 feet away. … “The reason we’re doing that is because we’ve interviewed predators and offenders coming in to register, which they’re required to…

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Preliminary Injunction Motion Sought in SORNA Regulations Challenge

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A motion for preliminary injunction has been filed in the pending challenge to SORNA regulations that became effective in January 2022.   The motion was filed on June 3 by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) in federal district court.  The motion requests a hearing date of July 18.  If that request is granted, the hearing will take place in Riverside county. “The Pacific Legal Foundation is to be commended for filing this important motion,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “If the motion is granted, it could stop the enforcement of…

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IL: Controversy in Joliet highlights difficulty of housing sex offenders who have completed their sentences

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Source: chicagotribune.com 6/6/22 At a public meeting in Joliet, residents stood up and spoke out against an apartment building that houses sex offenders in a city neighborhood — with one resident lamenting that she wouldn’t let children play outside unless she was on her lunch break, according to a video taken by an attendee. Other residents, according to accounts of some at the meeting, advocated for violence against the sex offenders, threatening homicide and arson. The heated public meeting Wednesday, which centered around an apartment building that houses about six…

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Evangelical Christian zealot Kirk Cameron Claims Public Schools Are ‘Grooming’ Kids For ‘Sexual Chaos’ In Bonkers Video

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Source: comicsands.com 6/1/22 Getting kids out of public schools is a huge talking point lately. Parents are questioning whether their kids are safe as shootings and other acts of violence have become terrifyingly common. They’re questioning the education they’ll get as many states have embraced policies that mean they don’t actually have to teach the truth because it might make White students “uncomfortable.” They’re questioning whether their kids will get to eat, or maybe end up suffering at their teachers hands. Child actor turned Evangelical Christian zealot Kirk Cameron is…

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NJ: Area men among 21 accused of being child predators

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Source: centraljersey.com 5/26/22 New Jersey Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced the arrests of 21 alleged child predators in “Operation Risky Business,” a multi-agency undercover operation targeting individuals who allegedly were using social medial in an attempt to lure underage girls and boys for sexual activity.  The defendants will be prosecuted by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the Division of Criminal Justice. The underage “children” were, in fact, undercover officers, according to information provided on May 26. Most of the defendants…

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NY: Don’t ‘discriminate’ against sex offenders, Adelphi University says

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Source: thecollegefix.com 6/2/22 University urges non-discrimination against racial minorities, people with disabilities and sex offenders A private university in New York told students, faculty and staff to not discriminate against someone based on a history of sexual offenses. A poster at the university, obtained by The College Fix, has a list of categories and a statement that “I will not discriminate.” The poster has the university’s name on it. People should “not discriminate” against someone based on sex, race, disability or religion according to the poster, nor someone’s “sexual offender…

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NJ: convicted sex offender sues for right to use social media

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Source: nj1015.com 6/2/22 A Camden County woman convicted of sexual crimes involving a minor is suing for her rights, and the rights of other sex offenders in New Jersey, to access social media and adult pornography. In a new lawsuit, Carmen ___ said the restrictions imposed on her by the New Jersey State Parole Board violated her First Amendment rights. The lawsuit names the NJSPB, the state, and several state officials and employees as defendants. It was filed in Mercer County Superior Court last Friday. Court records show Carmen ,…

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IL: Joliet Officials Attempting To Shut Down Sex Offender Housing Unit

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Source: patch.com 5/31/22 JOLIET, IL — Joliet city officials on Tuesday announced that they will attempt to eliminate housing for sex offenders in an attempt to minimize the presence of those convicted of sex crimes. … “It is absurd that anyone at any level of government would think (sex offender housing) is a good idea,” O’Dekirk said in a statement issued on Tuesday. “The City’s Legal Department has been instructed to take all appropriate action to shut this down. I believe placing five sex offenders at one location in any…

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ME: Lindsey Daggett doesn’t care that residency restrictions don’t work. She wants them for “justice”

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Source: bangordailynews.com 5/31/22 Lindsey Daggett was 15 years old when she confided in a family member that she had been sexually abused. The man who had molested her for nine years was her mother’s boyfriend. … A bill to require statewide residency restrictions for offenders of sex crimes against children didn’t go forward in the fall because the Maine Legislature was only considering emergency legislation. If reelected, Sen. Marianne Moore, R-Calais, said she plans to submit the bill again, at Daggett’s urging. … “I was tired of being ashamed and…

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DE: Proposed sex offender registry legislation doesn’t make communities safer

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Source: delawareonline.com 5/27/22 House Bill 306 is before the Delaware State Legislature. For the 4,500-plus Delawareans who appear on the state Sex Offender Registry the proposed legislation changes the “Restrictions” designation on the front of their driver’s licenses from the current “Y” to “SO.” The bill retains the words “Sex Offender” that already appear on the back of licenses.  HB306 proposes nothing to make the public safer. Delaware drivers licenses use federally compliant standards, and law enforcement technology provides immediate knowledge of a person’s registry status without relying on any specific…

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Southern Baptists Refused to Act on Abuse, Despite Secret List of Pastors

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UPDATED 5/24/22: Southern Baptist leaders say they will release list of alleged sex abusers [washingtonpost.com] Source: christianitytoday.com 5/22/22 Armed with a secret list of more than 700 abusive pastors, Southern Baptist leaders chose to protect the denomination from lawsuits rather than protect the people in their churches from further abuse. Survivors, advocates, and some Southern Baptists themselves spent more than 15 years calling for ways to keep sexual predators from moving quietly from one flock to another. The men who controlled the Executive Committee (EC)—which runs day-to-day operations of the…

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Eliminating licensing barriers–except for registrants–opens new pathways to economic opportunities

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Source: oklahoman.com 5/22/22 Amid growing labor shortages, once overlooked barriers to entry are finally getting their due. Today, one of the biggest obstacles to economic opportunity in Oklahoma is occupational licensing, which affects almost one-fifth of the state’s workforce. Worse, many licenses come with hefty requirements. On average, a license for lower- and middle-income occupations forces Oklahomans to complete nearly 400 days of training and experience, pay $234 in fees, and pass two exams.  Licensing laws are particularly daunting for people with criminal records, who face a dramatically higher unemployment rate. And without a steady…

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At least 135 teachers, aides charged with child sex crimes this year alone

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Source: foxnews.com 5/19/22 At least 135 teachers and teachers’ aides have been arrested so far this year on child sex-related crimes in the U.S., ranging from child pornography to raping students. An analysis conducted by Fox News Digital looked at local news stories week by week featuring arrests of teachers and teachers’ aides on child sex-related crimes in school districts across the country. Arrests that weren’t publicized were not counted in the analysis, meaning the true number may well be higher.  The analysis found that at least 135 teachers and…

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LA: Louisiana Senate committee passes bill to roll back early release for multiple felony convictions except sex offenses

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Source: thecentersquare.com 5/18/22 (The Center Square) — Legislation to roll back some criminal justice reforms implemented in 2017 in regards to repeat nonviolent felony offenders cleared a Senate Committee on Judiciary on Tuesday. House Bill 544, sponsored by Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, would roll back calculations for early release adopted through the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Package of 2017 for non-violent offenders convicted of four or more felony offenses. Current law allows for a convicted felon who has served at least 25% of the sentence imposed to become eligible for parole…

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LA: Hire of convicted rapist causes business to close, Shreveport discusses violence

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Source: shreveporttimes.com 5/16/22 The Shreveport City Council voted unanimously to uphold a license revocation against a local taxi cab service that admitted to hiring a convicted rapist.  The company, VIP Taxi Services LLC, spoke before the City Council on Monday in an attempt to appeal the Shreveport Police Department’s order that it suspend services immediately.  SPD revoked the company’s license after discovering VIP allowed registered sex offender Ontario Samuels to drive, despite his third-degree rape conviction. Read the full article  

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VA: Chiropractor accused of sex crimes against patients will be allowed to attend son’s graduation

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Source: wtvr.com 5/16/22 RICHMOND, Va. — A chiropractor accused of sexually assaulting multiple patients went before a judge Monday morning for what was supposed to be a plea agreement hearing, but instead his attorneys asked that the hearing be pushed back so he can attend his son’s high school graduation. Dr. Michael ____ entered an Alford plea that will take affect June 10. Part of that plea requires him to register as a sex offender. Because of that, he would not have been allowed on school property for his son’s…

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