[poststar.com – 10/22/19] …when word got out on social media in recent days that ______ was planning to get married days after his sentencing, and the invitation that was posted on Facebook talked of the “fairytale” relationship, the you-know-what hit the proverbial fan. The wedding was to be held Saturday at South Granville Congregational Church. Pastor Rick Backus said that he was aware _____ had been accused of child sexual abuse after the wedding was booked, but in light of the fact he hadn’t been convicted the wedding was going…
Read MoreCategory: National
LA: Teen beat up a stranger he recognized as a sex offender, now faces hate crime count, NOPD says
A 17-year-old boy who realized he was at the same convenience store as a man whose picture had appeared on a mailed sex-offender notice followed the man away from the shop and beat him up, New Orleans police said this week. Now, besides facing a count of misdemeanor battery, Tyrin Calloway stands accused of a hate crime, apparently on the theory that he targeted his alleged victim, a stranger, for being a registered sex offender, according to Criminal District Court records. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Don’t Miss Another Opportunity To Fix Sex Offender Registry
Last session, the state Legislature missed an opportunity to make major changes in Connecticut’s sex offender registry by failing to pass Senate Bill 1113 as proposed by the state Sentencing Commission. The Sentencing Commission was required by the Legislature to examine Connecticut’s sex offender registry and propose changes to the Legislature by 2018. Full Commentary
Read MorePA: Over 400 Registered Sex Offenders In Erie Causes Halloween Concerns For Parents
[erienewsnow.com – 10/25/19] Trick-or-treating can be fun and exciting… But going door-to-door to different homes can be very dangerous. Parents aren’t just concerned about tainted candy this Halloween, they’re also worried that children may be trick or treating around sexual predators. Halloween is a week away but people have already begun to celebrate at Millcreek Mall’s annual Trail of Treats event. Trick-or-treating in the mall is going to be the only Halloween some children experience this year. The fear of a child being lured by sexual predators causes reluctance for…
Read MoreTX: Annual Sex Offenders Sweep begins Friday
[kristv.com – 10/24/19] CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Halloween naturally prompts youngsters to visit homes they aren’t familiar with. County law enforcement officials want them to be careful and are taking steps to make it safer for them. The Nueces County Community Supervision and Corrections Department will be conducting its 13th annual Sex Offender Sweep beginning Friday through Halloween Day. In conjunction with the approaching holiday, local law enforcement officials will be conducting home visits on registered sex offenders currently on probation within Nueces County. All District Judges have mandated that…
Read MoreGA: Sheriff defends Halloween sex-offender-warning signs
[bpnews.net – 10/24/19] orgia sheriff was in federal district court Thursday (Oct. 24) defending his decision to post signs in front of sex offenders’ homes warning trick-or-treaters not to approach. Three sex offenders have filed suit against Butts County, Ga., sheriff Gary Long because he posted signs in front of 200 registered sex offenders’ homes in 2018 warning trick-or-treaters not to approach the properties. The plaintiffs are trying to prevent Long from posting the signs again in 2019 and beyond. “Stop. Warning. No Trick-Or-Treat At This Address!!” the signs read,…
Read MoreKY: Louisville launches a registry for animal abusers
[wave3.com – 10/23/19] A new Animal Abuser Registry in Louisville is expected to prevent pets from falling into the hands of people with a history of animal abuse. Approved by Louisville Metro Council and administered by Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS), the registry is similar to a sex offender registry. Anyone who lives in the Louisville Metro and is guilty of animal cruelty is required to keep their name on a list for two years after a conviction. Pet stores, shelters or rescue groups are also required to check the…
Read MoreLA: Court sidesteps issue on juvenile sex offenders
Louisiana’s Supreme Court has sidestepped, for now, the question of whether juveniles convicted of sex crimes can be required to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives. The case involved a man convicted of having molested his younger sister when he was 14 years old. He was ordered held in juvenile custody until age 21. After his release, he sought relief from the sex registration requirement. The high court on Tuesday ruled that because he was no longer in custody, he was ineligible to file for post-conviction…
Read MorePA: Internet dissemination provision of SORNA II violates the federal prohibition against ex post facto laws
Summary from FAC: A Pennsylvania Appeals Court has found that the dissemination of persons who have been convicted of sexual offenses’ information on the internet (Megan’s Law) violates the ex post facto clause of the Constitution for individuals whose offenses pre-date the ordinance. Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court had a prior landmark decision (Commonwealth v. Muniz, 164 A.3d 1189 (Pa.2017)) finding similarly, so this new opinion will not likely be groundbreaking, but it will show that the prior findings are being upheld and people in Pennsylvania DO have relief from the public…
Read MoreWI: Nonprofit trying to find homes for those living in ‘Tent City’
[wisn.com – 10/22/19] The homeless in Milwaukee’s Tent City have less than two weeks to clear out after the Wisconsin Department of Transportation ordered them out by Oct. 31 to make way for a construction project. A federally funded nonprofit is taking on the mission of finding everyone a home to avoid forcing people out at the end of the month. … ______ is a convicted sex offender and now no one will take him in. “It sucks. It’s cold. There’s help for people. But most of them, it’s help…
Read MoreIL: Orland Park 2019 Sex Offender Halloween Safety Map
[patch.com – 10/21/19] Before kids go out trick or treating on Halloween, fall is a good time to take an inventory of who is living in your neighborhood. … You may want to avoid trick or treating at these houses and apartments on Halloween, or merely be aware of who’s living in your neighborhood during the rest of the year. … Law enforcement officials and researchers caution that the registries can play only a limited role in preventing child sexual abuse and stress that most perpetrators are known to the…
Read MoreOH: Mt. Healthy takes proactive approach to sex offender awareness prior to trick-or-treating
[local12.com – 10/21/19] The Mt. Healthy Police Department is taking a proactive approach to keep trick-or-treaters safe on Halloween. Officers posted a list of addresses on the department’s Facebook page. They are all sex offenders who live in parts of the community. Brittany Athey looks forward to taking her kids out on Halloween, but was not aware that a registered sex offender lived on a street near her house. “I think it’s a great thing because we’ll be able to keep away from those houses then. So we know what…
Read MoreAK: DOJ Grants $273 Mln For Public Safety Of American Indian And Alaska Natives
[rttnews.com – 10/21/19] The Department of Justice has granted $273.4 million to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. … A portion of the funding will support tribal youth mentoring and intervention services, help native communities implement requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and provide training and technical assistance to tribal communities. … The Department provided $6.1 million to help tribes to comply with federal law on sex offender registration and notification.…
Read MoreMO: Halloween has local police strictly enforcing sex offender compliance
[fourstateshomepage.com – 10/21/19] Halloween is right around the corner, and local law enforcement are making sure the hundreds of sex offenders in Jasper County are following the law. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office already keeps a close eye on registered sex offenders and Halloween is no different. They have already started to reach out to offenders to make sure their in compliance with the law, which includes ensuring they are on the sex offender registry and posting the proper signage on their home on Halloween. “Nowadays, you never know what…
Read MoreWA: Tarra Simmons Looks To Become 1st Former Inmate Elected To Washington Legislature
[opb.org – 10/21/19] A Washington attorney and criminal justice reform advocate who previously served time in prison is seeking to become the first formerly incarcerated person elected to the Washington Legislature, at least in modern times. Tarra Simmons, of Bremerton, who in 2017 won a Supreme Court fight to sit for the state bar exam, despite her prior criminal conviction, plans to formally announce her candidacy for the state House on Monday. “I’d like to break this concrete ceiling,” Simmons said in an exclusive interview with the public radio Northwest News Network. “I think…
Read MoreGA: Sex offenders sue Butts County Sheriff’s Office over ‘No Trick or Treat’ signs
When kids are out trick-or-treating, one of parents’ biggest worries is safety — but efforts by a Middle Georgia sheriff’s office to keep children safe are now at the center of a federal class action lawsuit. Full Article and Lawsuit Related GA: Palmer Sheriff Puts ‘No Trick-Or-Treat’ Signs in Yards of Sex Offenders
Read MoreFL: Florida Cops Went to Absurd Lengths to Entrap Man Who Showed No Interest in Underage Sex
[reason.com – 10/21/19] How do you catch a predator in Sarasota, Florida? You create one. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) is going to “outrageous lengths” to make law-abiding lonely guys into sex offenders. That’s according to Noah Pransky, a fearless journalist who has been covering Florida’s addiction to entrapment for years. In September, SCSO arrested 23 men for allegedly soliciting underage girls for sex. Pransky’s most recent piece in Florida Politics chronicles the elaborate back and forth between one of those men and a police officer pretending to be a…
Read MoreOR: Our View – Stop keeping Oregonians in the dark about sex offenders
Registered sex offenders in Oregon recently got a reminder that the state is keeping an eye on them. Law enforcement agencies conducted the latest in a series of checks on the whereabouts of high-risk offenders. It ended in 15 arrests in Lane County. Unfortunately, the operation also highlighted a serious flaw in the public reporting system that enables tens of thousands of moderate and low-risk offenders to remain in the shadows. Full Article (Free Registration may be required)
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