More News

Sex offender registration continues for ranch manager near Idyllwild

webmaster

A judge ruled Keith Harper, 72, must register until at least 2025. MOUNTAIN CENTER, Calif. — The former boyfriend of Dia Abrams, the woman who went missing almost two years ago from her ranch near Idyllwild, will have to continue to register as a sex offender. Keith Harper represented himself in court Tuesday in San Juan County, Colorado, where he was convicted 10 years ago of misdemeanor sexual contact for groping two women on snowmobile tours. “I did a year in jail. Misdemeanors are not meant to be a life…

Read More

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

R H

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…

Read More

Registerants address county commission after rule changed to allow them

webmaster

Registered sex offenders had their day to be heard before Brevard County commissioners and explain how an ordinance banning them from certain locations in the county has negatively affected them. In their statements to commissioners on Tuesday, petitioners pleaded with the commission to reverse an amendment to an ordinance passed in 2020, barring them from entering within 1,000 feet of businesses where children typically congregate. Their comments included examples of barriers they face because of the county regulation, and the negative impact that is having for their families and other loved…

Read More

OK: Oklahoma woman busted for planting lewd images on husband’s phone

webmaster

  Over the years, we’ve criticized cops for disregarding the rights of innocent people. But it’s equally important to applaud cops for doing the right thing and remembering that they are supposed to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty. One such example comes from Wynnewood, Oklahoma, where a woman reported her husband for having hundreds of child sex abuse images on his phone. But her story didn’t pass the smell test with police and Garvin County sheriff’s deputies. After further investigation, the woman is now in jail herself, and faces charges that could…

Read More

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

R H

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  

Read More

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

R H

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…

Read More

AK: Data shows Arkansas 3rd highest rate of registered sex offenders in U.S.

R H

Source: 5newsonline.com 5/16/22 ARKANSAS, USA — There are 767,000 registered sex offenders across the nation and 18,000 of those live in Arkansas. The data says that just under 600 registered sex offenders per 100-thousand residents. This data comes from safehome.org. Senior industry analyst, Corie Colliton says since there is no national sex offender registry, they’ve been compiling the data from each state since 2019.   “Arkansas does have a high number of child sex abuse victims per 100,000 minors in the state. It was higher than any other state. Almost…

Read More

IN: Out-of-state sex offender registration requirement does not violate Indiana Constitution

R H

Source: theindianalawyer.com 5/16/22 The Court of Appeals of Indiana has upheld a finding that the retroactive application of the state’s sex offender registration requirements does not violate the Indiana Constitution’s ex post facto clause. Tracey Williams Crowley petitioned the St. Joseph Circuit Court in 2021 to have his name removed from the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry. He had been convicted in Michigan of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony, in 1988. In 2004, Crowley moved to Indiana. As he was required to do in Michigan, he registered as…

Read More

CA: San Jose police officer arrested over allegation he masturbated in a family’s home

R H

Source: mercurynews.com 5112/22 A San Jose police officer was arrested Thursday and charged with indecent exposure after he allegedly was caught masturbating in a family’s home while he was responding to a disturbance call. Officer Matthew ____, 32, was arrested Thursday and will be arraigned on a misdemeanor indecent exposure charge on June 22 at 9 a.m. in the Hall of Justice, according to a Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office news release. If convicted, Matthew could face a year in jail and be placed on the sexual offender list…

Read More

Janice Files Lawsuit that Challenges Denial of Military Base Access to Registrant Retirees

R H

Source: ACSOL A lawsuit was filed today in a federal district court in California challenging the denial of access to a military base of a military retiree solely because he is required to register.  The lawsuit claims that the military retiree’s right to due process was violated when he was denied access without prior notice in November 2021 to Vandenberg Air Force Base which is located near Santa Barbara, California.  The lawsuit asks the court to require the commander of Vandenberg Air Force base to allow the plaintiff access so…

Read More

SOLPRC’s Guide for Practitioners to New Federal SORNA Regulations Effective January 7, 2022

R H

Source: mitchellhamline.edu 5/2/22 On December 8, 2021, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) published regulations regarding the implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). The new regulations are notable for their emphasis on the responsibility of individuals with prior sex offense convictions to ensure compliance with Federal SORNA even where relevant state registration schemes maintain different requirements. In light of the new regulations, and with the assistance of a number of attorneys and academics working in this area, SOLPRC has prepared a short guide to assist legal practitioners…

Read More

VA: Convicted Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act

R H

Source: justice.gov 5/5/22 BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A convicted West Virginia sex offender pleaded guilty today to failing to provide information related to foreign travel as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). According to court documents and statements made in court, Andrew Todd Smith, 32, of Peterstown, Monroe County, admitted that he traveled to South Africa in November 2021 without providing the required advanced notification. Smith was required to register as a sex offender under SORNA after he was convicted of three counts of third-degree sexual assault…

Read More

UCLA Study Identifies Similarities, Differences Between Straight and Gay Registrants

webmaster

The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law has completed a study regarding registrants focused on the similarities and differences between straight registrants and registrants who are members of the LGBTQ community on a variety of issues, including but not limited to, employment and housing.  A webinar was conducted today regarding the study and a full report will be issued next week.   The study includes data received from 965 individuals of whom about 20 percent self identified as members of the LGBTQ community.  The average age of the…

Read More

MD: Law would ban student sex offenders from Washington County Public Schools’ property

R H

Source: heraldmailmedia.com 5/6/22 A proposed policy would ban students that are registered as sex offenders from taking classes on property owned by Washington County Public Schools The student can still take classes, but at another location off of school property. “I would just say that this is not one that you necessarily want to see come up on your policy committee agenda, but to me it seems that the main motivation here is that we are protecting our students by denying entry of student-registered sex offenders,” school board member Pieter…

Read More

WI: Winnebago County unveils plan for million-dollar sex offender housing

R H

Source: fox11online.com 5/5/22 OSHKOSH, Wis. (WLUK) — Million-dollar housing for violent sex offenders could be coming to Oshkosh. The plan was introduced earlier this week. “It keeps us from having those uncomfortable conversations in the community that we shouldn’t have to have,” said Winnebago County Executive Jon Doemel. He’s trying to solve a years-long problem: a place to house violent sex offenders after their sentence is complete. “There’s no great solution that everybody likes but I think it’s the best solution for a really hard situation,” he offered. The Winnebago…

Read More

KS: Internet child sex crimes convictions will require registration as offenders in Kansas

R H

Source: wibw.com 5/5/22 TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – A bill to allow those convicted of drug offenses to seek relief from the offender registration act and require those convicted of internet child sex crimes to register as a sex offender has been signed by the Kansas Governor. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says on Thursday, April 5, she signed Senate Bill 366, which will create a way for drug offenders to seek relief from the Kansas Offender Registration Act and allows expungement of the offense if relief is granted. The bill also…

Read More

VA: Chesterfield police arrest 16 in online operations involving sex solicitation of minors

R H

Source: richmond.com 5/4/22 Chesterfield County police special victims’ detectives conducted two recent online sting operations involving sexual solicitation of minors that resulted in the arrest of 16 suspects on a total of 31 charges, many of them felonies, police announced Wednesday. The planned operations were the department’s seventh and eighth of this type since June 2020. As in past cases, detectives on March 31 and April 28 intercepted suspects who believed they were soliciting sex from minors through various social media platforms. The suspects communicated with people they believed to…

Read More