[actionnewsjax.com – 3/23/21] ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Residents listed on the sex offender registry in Florida must live in certain areas, but they are not required to have a permanent address. In one case, a predator in St. Johns County was listed as living in the woods behind a Winn Dixie. The individual has since moved, according to the Sheriff’s Office post. Action News Jax dug through the registry to find at least six St. Johns offenders on the registry, including two predators, who are listed as transient. “My concern…
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CA: Detainee who pleaded for release from California ICE immigration center dies from COVID-19
[eastbaytimes.com – 3/23/21] Less than a year ago, Martin Vargas Arellano pleaded with a U.S. Immigration Court judge for humanitarian parole from the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, saying his only wish was to “lead a quiet life and be at peace.” Suffering from myriad ailments — diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis C, cellulitis and gout — the 55-year-old San Bernardino man was among the most medically vulnerable of detainees at the private immigration detention facility, which in April 2020 was concerned about a potential outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Vargas was…
Read MoreAL: Sex offenders at a popular Huntsville homeless camp find it difficult to relocate
[waff.com – 3/22/21] HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – One week ago, Huntsville City and non-profit leaders announced that people living in a large homeless camp known as “tent city” would have to move. It was located on Mill Street, and was inside of the Church Street construction zone. We went to the location today and there are still a lot of tents, clothes, and personal items scattered all around the camp, where dozens of people used to live. We’re told everyone has moved, but when it comes to sex offenders, several…
Read MoreTSA Precheck Available to Most Registrants
[ACSOL] TSA precheck is available to most people who have been convicted of a sex offense. In fact, the only registrants who are categorically excluded from the TSA precheck are those convicted of rape or aggravated assault. The list of those who are not eligible for TSA precheck includes, but is not limited to, individuals on a terrorist watchlist as well as those who have been convicted of espionage, sedition, treason, murder and transporting explosives. In addition, the TSA has a list of interim disqualifying criminal offenses including, but not…
Read MoreWI: Wisconsin judge charged with seven child pornography counts
[citynews1130.com – 3/17/21] MADISON, Wis. — Prosecutors charged a Wisconsin judge with multiple counts of possession of child pornography Wednesday. State Department of Justice attorneys filed seven felony counts against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Brett _____. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Brett _____, 38, was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday in Dane County. His attorney, listed in online court records as Chris Van Wagner, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Read the full article
Read MoreIL: Illinois House bill would change sex offender residence requirements
[wandtv.com – 3/18/21] SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – A bill moving through the Illinois House of Representatives would change how close a registered sex offender could live to a school, playground, or childcare facility. HB3913 would amend the Unified Code of Correction and allow a registered sex offender to reside within 250 feet of any the restricted facilities. State law currently requires they live 500 feet. The bill sponsored by Rep. Camille Lilly and Rep. Kelly Cassidy would also remove a weekly requirement that a registered sex offender must register their address…
Read MoreNC: Pasquotank Co Sheriff’s Office partnered with U.S. Marshals to conduct sex offender operation
[wavy.com – 3/18/21] ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – On Monday the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the United States Marshals Service to conduct a Sex Offender Enforcement and Compliance Operation. According to authorities, the purpose of the operation was to ensure that the eighty registered sex offenders in Pasquotank County were in compliance with state laws, and the Adam Walsh Act. The Adam Walsh Act is intended to help to protect children from sexual exploitation and violent crime. The compliance investigations included confirming the residency of each registered sex offender,…
Read MoreIA: Iowa Capitol Digest: Lawmakers discuss the sex offender registry, traffic speed and housing
[nonpareilonline.com – 3/18/21] The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation that would require any individual on a sex offender registry in another state who moves to Iowa to be placed on Iowa’s sex offender registry for as long as they are required in the other state, or by Iowa law, whichever is longer. Sen. Zach Whiting, R-Spirit Lake, said state law enforcement officials expressed concern that some individuals may have moved to Iowa in order to avoid other states’ registry requirements. House File 201 already passed the House, 88-0, and is…
Read MoreFL: Florida Senate votes to close sex offender loophole
[sfchronicle.com – 3/18/21] TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A loophole in Florida’s sexual offender registration law would be closed under a Senate bill unanimously passed Thursday in response to a child molester who didn’t have to register because he didn’t pay a court-ordered fine. A judge ruled last year that Ray La Vel James of Tampa, who spent 12 years in prison after being convicted of molesting two girls at a public pool, didn’t have to register as a sex offender because the law states registration isn’t required until a sentence…
Read MoreAcademy Expels Registered Sex Offender Adam _____ After Variety Investigation
[variety.com – 3/17/21] After a story in Variety in November exposed the fact that registered sex offender — and noted cinematographer — Adam ____ has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2007, the organization has taken action and removed him. An Academy source confirmed to Variety that Adam ____ is no longer a member. When asked for a comment, a representative for the Academy did not immediately respond. Adam ____ also appears no longer to be in the American Society of Cinematographers, an…
Read MoreMN: Upcoming sex offense bills
[leg.mn.gov] Minnesota State Legislature bill search by “Crimes and Criminals-Sexual Offenses” The following is a partial list of proposed bills / laws regarding sex offenses that could possibly be up for a vote this legislative session. Use the link above to do a current search. 1. SF1730 / No HR introduced – Sex trafficking of a child added to the definition of “Substantial Child Endangerment” 2. SF1466 / HF409 – Terminating parental rights of the perpetrator for any child conceived due to the commission of a sexual conduct crime. This…
Read MoreUse science, not stigma, to determine the next steps for Nushawn Williams (Commentary)
[syracuse.com – 3/16/21] Dr. William M. Valenti is a New York state-licensed physician in practice in Rochester. He has worked in HIV medicine, research and HIV health policy since 1981. Anne Kelsey is a staff attorney at the Center for HIV Law and Policy, in Brooklyn. In 1999, Nushawn Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape and two counts of reckless endangerment for having sex while HIV positive at the age of 19 and 20 years old. He served the full sentence of 12 years, but days before…
Read MoreKY: Senate panel advances bill supporting child sex-abuse victims
[forwardky.com – 3/16/21] A bill that would extend the statute of limitations for misdemeanor sex offenses involving minors from five to ten years after their eighteenth birthday is progressing through the Legislature. Written by Nadia Ramlagan of Kentucky News Connection Supporters of House Bill 472, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Bechler, R-Marion, said it will help more survivors be heard and their perpetrators held accountable. Nationwide, one in four girls and one in thirteen boys will experience sexual abuse, and 34% of all victims are younger than 12, according to data…
Read MoreIN: Bill would allow adults to be charged for sex crimes they committed years earlier as minors
[indystar.com – 3/16/21] Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow courts to charge people over the age of 21 as adults for child molestation acts they committed when they were teenagers. Supporters say they are trying to address an unintentional gap in Indiana law. They say there is no way to criminally convict those who are over 21 years old for child molestation acts they committed as teenagers. “There’s a gap in the law where the perpetrator has no accountability,” said David Powell, a representative from the Prosecuting…
Read MoreAL: Mill Street tent camp residents concerned over relocation
[whnt.com – 3/16/21] HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Several residents of a tent camp on Mill Street are expressing their concerns over the forced move to a different location. Some homeless Huntsville residents have until the end of the week to move as the city works on flood mitigation on Mill Street. While some may transition to service centers, many won’t or can’t. Instead, they will be moved to another tent camp on Derrick Street, but that presents another problem. People living at the Mill Street tent camp say there are several…
Read MoreIN: Annual Fee for Sex Offender Registration introduced in Vigo County
The Vigo County Council approved an ordinance establishing fees for sex offenders. The ordinance will set a $50 annual fee for sex or violent offender registration and a $5 for each time a sex or violent offender registers an address change. Vigo County Commissioner Chris Switzer says that Sheriff Plasse approached the County Commissioners with this idea last year. COVID-19 pushed it back a bit, but he says he’s happy the County was able to get this passed. Full Article
Read MoreTinder users will soon be able to access a background check database
[engadget.com – 3/15/21] The data is coming first to Tinder, but will probably be in other Match Group apps as well. The owner of massive dating apps Tinder and Match has just announced a new partnership to help keep its users safe. Match Group, which owns Tinder, Match, OK Cupid, Hinge and several other services, has made an investment in Garbo, a non-profit, female-founded background check platform. As part of the deal, Garbo’s platform will be available to people using Match Group apps, starting with Tinder later this year. If…
Read MoreTX: Proposed Kyle sex offender law has supporters and opponents
[communityimpact.com – 3/15/21] Kyle City Council will consider passing a new ordinance which would restrict where some individuals on the Texas sex offender registry can reside, regardless of whether or not the offender is on probation or parole. The ordinance, brought to council by Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett, specifically targets offenders convicted of crimes involving minors. Of the city’s 67 residents on the registry, nine were convicted of minor-related crimes. Kyle does not have the most sex offenders in the region—New Braunfels has 106—but its ratio to normal residents…
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