Category: National

NJ: All six chiropractors who voted to restore license of sex offender resign

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[newjerseyglobe.com – 3/8/21] Six members of the New Jersey Board of Chiropractic Examiners under fire for restoring a medical license to a convicted sex offender have resigned, an attorney representing the chiropractors said. The resignations come six days after Gov. Phil Murphy announced that he was replacing Brett Wartenberg, Thomas Senatore and Paul Lyons on the state regulatory board. The other three members — David Allen, Rosemary Calio and Albert Stabile – were on holdover status and in the process of being replaced. “It is our understanding from recent government…

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FL: Florida Lawmakers Weigh Rules on Union Dues, [Sex Offense] Ballot Measures

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[nbcmiami.com – 3/7/21] The Florida Legislature enters the second week of its 60-day session Monday as it dives deeper into the process of winnowing the thousands of bills before it. … In the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, lawmakers in the coming week are considering a key change in sexual offender laws. Sexual offenders released from prison are supposed to register with authorities. But a court had ruled that sexual offenders don’t have to register if they hadn’t finished paying off any restitution they might owe. In other words, you’re not…

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Zoukis: What Biden can do about reducing repeat offenders

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[yourvalley.net – 3/5/21] When the U.S. government initiated efforts in 2018 to reduce recidivism in federal prisons, the aim was to end the cycle that makes many inmates repeat offenders. To achieve that goal, inmates would engage in recidivism-reduction programs to earn increased good-conduct time. But the lofty objectives of the First Step Act, approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, still have a long way to go to live up to their potential, says Christopher Zoukis, author of the Directory of Federal Prisons and managing director of…

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NJ: Man dies in Civil Commitment After Being Beaten by Officers

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[floridaactioncommittee.org – 3/4/21] The family of Darrell Smith is suing the state after he was beaten to a near comatose state by a group of correctional officers at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel. The center is New Jersey’s civil commitment center, where people are held indefinitely after completing their sentence. The beating was described as “gang-style” and even after he was left in a catatonic state, officers at the facility waited five days before taking him to the hospital, where he died two days later. Read the…

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KY: House bill would help pregnant inmates, increase time to file charges in sexual abuse cases

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[messenger-inquirer.com – 3/4/21] … The committee also approved a bill to require the Parole Board to notify victims of class D felony sexual offenses that the perpetrator is eligible for parole, a bill to allow juvenile victims of sex offense more time to file charges, and a bill that would give judges discretion when deciding whether a juvenile criminal case should be transferred to adult court. … The committee also approved House Bill 47, which increases the time a person who was the victim of a misdemeanor sexual offense can…

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NJ: Murphy replaces three members of board that restored license to convicted sex offender

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[newjerseyglobe.com – 3/4/21] Gov. Phil Murphy has replaced three members of the embattled State Board of Chiropractic Examiners after a controversial vote to reinstate the license of a convicted sex offender from Paramus. Murphy is dumping Brett Wartenberg, Thomas Senatore and Paul Lyons and replacing them with Kelly Blunder, Uchenna Abba Onyeani and Michael Kaufman. All six are chiropractors. Despite warnings from the attorney general, the board voted to reinstate the license Dr. Bryan Bajakian, who in 2008 was convicted on charges of luring or enticing underage girls and illegally…

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TX: Convicted sex offender allowed to remain in Arlington mayoral race

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[dallasnews.com – 2/28/21] Arlington officials say a convicted sex offender can remain on the ballot for mayor after another candidates filed a complaint. Jerry Warden filed for the Arlington mayoral race on Feb. 11, joining seven other residents seeking to become the city’s 27th mayor. Mayor Jeff Williams is serving his third and final term, and is not eligible to run again for the position due to Arlington term limit laws. Warden holds a lifetime listing on the Texas Public Sex Offenders Registry after being convicted in 1996 on charges…

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PA: Sharpsville church ‘disfellowshipped’ over pastor’s criminal past

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[wkbn.com – 3/2/21] SHARPSVILLE, Pa. (WKBN) – A pastor in Sharpsville committed a crime long ago. Because of it, his church has been expelled from a prestigious national organization. The church is West Side Baptist, which was “disfellowshipped” last week by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Baptist and Protestant denomination in the United States. The church is located on East Main Street in Sharpsville. It was expelled or disfellowshipped because of its pastor David Pearson. … The statement from West Side Baptist also claimed that…

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Action Alert for Florida: Act Today to Oppose Senate Bill 234

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[floridaactioncommittee.org – 3/2/21] Senate Bill 234 will be heard by the Senate Rules Committee this Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 9:00-11:00 A.M. Eastern This bill will redefine the meaning of “day” to include “part of any calendar day”. FAC has submitted a letter in opposition to the Bill which you can read here: Letter to Rules RE SB234. Additionally, we plan to have a member speak before the meeting. We are calling on all members to contact the members of the Senate Rules Committee by calling and emailing them via…

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NJ: Gov. Murphy: Sex Offender Getting NJ License Back ‘Reprehensible’

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[patch.com – 2/26/21] Gov. Murphy called for changes after the NJ chiropractic board gave a sex offender his license back. PARAMUS, NJ — Gov. Phil Murphy called for changes after a former Bergen County chiropractor and registered sex offender gained approval to have his license reinstated after a years-long fight. The New Jersey Board of Chiropractic Examiners made the decision to reinstate Bryan K. Bajakian’s license for a five-year probationary period, according to documents from the board. Murphy called the decision “reprensible” and “unacceptable.” “Folks who voted to reinstate this…

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IN: These civilians hunt child predators. Expert warns they’re ‘playing with fire.’

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[yahoo.com – 2/25/21] INDIANAPOLIS — The confrontation begins at a side door of Lebanon Senior High School. Viewers watched via Facebook Live as a woman approached the school, about 40 minutes northwest of downtown Indianapolis, and was greeted by Brian J. Boyer, a band teacher who, in that moment, was allegedly waiting for a 14-year-old girl to meet him for sex. “Do you wanna come out and talk to me for a minute?” the woman asked. “Basically, I brought you out here ‘cause we know who you are, I’m definitely…

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MN: Case challenging constitutionality of the Minnesota Sex Offender Program can move forward

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[yahoo.com – 2/24/21] A protracted case challenging the constitutionality of Minnesota’s system for treating sex offenders outside prison has gained new life after a federal appeals court in St. Louis ruled that claims contesting the program’s unusual conditions of confinement can move forward. In a decision released Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit determined that allegations that clients of the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) were subjected to improper punishment and inadequate treatment should proceed. The decision sets the stage for another…

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What is Operation Talon? Truth behind Trump’s ‘sex offender’ program and 1997 mission set up by Bill Clinton

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[meaww.com – 2/24/21] Operation Talon, a mission to target sex offenders who reside illegally in the United States, seems to have sparked much controversy on social media. On February 24, 2021, social media users expressed their disdain with rumors swirling that President Joe Biden had canceled Donald Trump’s initiative from his last few days of being in the White House. A thorough investigation now suggests that it wasn’t Biden but ICE officials. It was reported that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had shelved it as they prepare to issue new…

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MA: 6-Year-Old Accused Of Sexual Misconduct, School Calls Police. Mother Alleges Racism.

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[dailywire.com – 2/22/21] It was November 12, 2019, when Flavia Peréa received a phone call from her 6-year-old son’s school saying a girl in his first-grade class had accused him of touching her inappropriately. The phone call was from the dean of students, who, according to the Boston Globe, indicated that her son’s alleged behavior was a form of sexual harassment, something the boy wouldn’t even be able to understand at that age. The dean vaguely explained the situation to Peréa before adding as what the Globe characterized as “an…

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OH: Effort underway to charge sex offenders federally

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[10tv.com – 2/22/21] COLUMBUS, Ohio — Preying on children and spending very little time in jail; it may surprise you just how many sex offenders have been multiple times before seeing serious times behind bars. There is an effort underway to charge those offenders federally. … Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Rick Minerd says it is disheartening for his investigators when an offender faces little or no jail time. “It is frustrating for law enforcement at times when we see repeat offenders. Let’s face it, law enforcement, it’s hard…

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Southern Baptists divided over politics, race, LGBTQ policy

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[fox13memphis.com – 2/20/21] Divisions over race, politics, gender and LGBTQ issues are roiling America’s largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, ahead of a meeting of its executive committee next week. … The most recent disfellowship of an SBC church occurred a year ago when the executive committee ousted Ranchland Heights Baptist Church of Midland, Texas, because it employed a registered sex offender as pastor. Read the full article  

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