Source: courthousenews.com 8/1/25 An Alabama law restricting sex offenders’ movements is under legal scrutiny after a federal appeals court hearing Friday that could reshape how the state regulates their interactions with minors. The case centers on a provision of the Alabama Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act that restricts where registrants can be present, potentially criminalizing routine activities like work, attending church or family gatherings. Amended in 2017, plaintiffs claim the provision redefined “reside” and “overnight visit,” imposing sweeping restrictions that could transform routine activities into criminal acts. Three…
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AL: Pastor Robert Wagley’s Arrest: The Legal Questions
Source: atoday.org 8/19/25 On August 14, 2025, Mobile County deputies arrested Pastor Robert Michael Wagley of the St. Elmo Seventh-day Adventist Church on three counts of intimidating a witness. According to jail records and witness accounts, several church members who had assisted law enforcement in a separate criminal investigation were subsequently stripped of their church duties and escorted off the property. The sheriff’s office alleges these actions were meant to punish cooperation with authorities. Pastor Wagley has not been convicted of any crime, and under United States law, all defendants are presumed…
Read MoreAL: Alabama lawmakers want to impose death penalty on child rapists, challenging precedent
Source: alabamareflector.com 8/1/25 Alabama lawmakers are preparing to reintroduce a bill that would make the rape or sodomy of a child a capital offense, punishable by death, state officials said in a press conference Thursday. Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, one of the bill’s sponsors, said that while it is “unfortunate” that such a bill is “necessary,” the rape of a child is “the worst of the worst of offenses” and therefore “deserves the worst of the worst punishments.” HB 29, sponsored by Simpson in the 2024 legislative session, would have…
Read MoreAL: Win in AL: 11th Circuit deems Alabama sex offender restrictions too harsh
Source: courthousenews.com 4/23/25 The appellate panel said prohibiting parents who have been convicted of sex offenses from cohabitating with their minor children violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Alabama cannot completely prohibit convicted sex offenders from cohabitating with minors, according to an 11th Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Wednesday. After being convicted of one count of possession of child pornography in 2013 and serving his sentence for the crime, Bruce Henry married and his wife gave birth to a son, but state law prohibits sex offenders from residing together or…
Read MoreAL, KY, MS, OH, VA considering administrating Capital Punishment rape/sexual assault/sexual battery
Source: deathpenaltyinfo.org The States of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia are considering administrating Capital Punishment towards those convicted of rape/sexual assault/sexual battery to those who have a living victim. Read the bills [AL, KY, MS, OH, VA registrants and supporters, fight this with writing, calls, and showing up]
Read MoreAL: Bill would prohibit sex offenders from serving as first responders
Source: aldailynews.com 8/29/24 Convicted sex offenders could not be first responders under legislation pre-filed in the Alabama Legislature. State law already prohibits sex offenders from working in schools, child care centers or other businesses that cater primarily to children. Rep. Kerry Underwood, R-Tuscumbia, said the law needs to be amended to cover first responders, including those at volunteer fire departments. “Without (this legislation) for that particular offender, we are basically opening the door and saying, you’re a first responder, if there’s a medical need, you can go into this day…
Read MoreAlabama Court Rules Residency Restrictions Violate Constitution
Source: ACSOL A federal district ruled yesterday that a state law in Alabama that restricts where registrants may live violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The court’s ruling was made in a 162-page decision that carefully reviewed the language of that state law as well as its impact upon more than 20,000 individuals required to register. According to the court, one part of the challenged residency restrictions adversely could affect the ability of registrants to attend church, participate in political events, visit family and access public libraries. Another…
Read MoreAL: Alabama cannot ban sex offender parents from living with kids, US judge rules
Source: reuters.com 1/11/24 Alabama only state with such a broad ban, according to judge Alabama has filed a notice of appeal Jan 11 (Reuters) – An Alabama law that bars people convicted of a sex offense involving a minor from living with a child, including their own, unconstitutionally violates the rights of parents to care for their children, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker in Montgomery, Alabama, in a ruling on Wednesday sided with a father who had, years before his son’s birth, been convicted…
Read MoreAL: Warning from father of teen who took his own life after being sextorted online
Source: wbrc.com 10/4/23 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – A grieving dad is hoping the story of his son’s loss and traumatic last few hours can be a warning to us as parents of teens, and prevent another tragedy like the one his family is now enduring. “Coming up on that one-year anniversary, it’s another day, that’s all it is, another day, but that day will be difficult, it will be hard,” says Brian Montgomery, a father whose life changed completely, and with no warning, one year ago. “It was a normal…
Read MoreAL: What to do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood
Source: cbs42.com 5/10/23 What do you do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood? That was a question posed to CBS42 by neighbors in Shelby County after they received a flyer in the mail alerting them that a sex offender had recently moved in. Watch the video
Read MoreAL: Cullman County man sentenced to 75 years for failure to register as sex offender
Source: cullmantribune.com 5/11/23 CULLMAN, Ala. – Cullman County Circuit Court Judge Greg Nicholas on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, sentenced David Lee ____, of Hanceville, to 75 years in prison. The sentence stems from ____’s March 1 conviction for failing to register as a sex offender with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office in violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. “As I stated after the trial our sex offender registration laws are tough for good reason and we will not only prosecute those who break them to the fullest,…
Read MoreAL: What to do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood
Source: cbs42.com 5/10/23 SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — What do you do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood? That was a question posed to CBS42 by neighbors in Shelby County after they received a flyer in the mail from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, alerting them that a sex offender had recently moved into the Brook Highland area. “We’re gonna make sure the community knows who you are, we’re gonna make sure the community knows where you live,” Chief Deputy Clay Hammac with the Shelby County Sheriff’s…
Read MoreAL: Years after brothers serve 20 years for rape they said they did not commit, judge tosses wrongful conviction
Source: al.com 11/8/22 Frank Meadows, Jr. may never wear sneakers again. He and his older brother Quinton Cook can laugh about it now. They can laugh about something as inconsequential as footwear and what they’ll wear to church. They can laugh about it now because of the consequential weight recently lifted from their lives when Jefferson County Circuit Judge Shanta’ Owens ruled last month that the two men were wrongfully convicted of rape in 1993, a crime the two men always declared they did not commit. A crime for which…
Read MoreAL: Sheriff’s Office: Convicted sex offender arrested for SORNA violations
Source: whnt.com 7/22/ LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — A convicted sex offender was arrested this week after selling his home and leaving the state, according to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office. Officials say an investigator with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office was alerted on June 23 that Leonard, 70, of Lester, was in violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Sex Offender Registry, Leonard is a convicted sex offender with his offense listed as second-degree rape. Read the full article…
Read MoreAL: Nathan Stephens gets 75 year sentence for not registering as sex offender
Source: news.yahoo.com 1/29/2022 A man who allegedly killed an acquaintance two days after being released from prison was sentenced to 75 years in prison by Circuit Judge Greg Nicholas on Thursday for his failure to register as a sex offender conviction from November. Read the full article
Read MoreAL: Law enforcement praises technology for helping fight crime
Source: wbrc.com 11/15/21 Keeping the community safe now comes with the flash of a solar-powered camera. Local law enforcement praised the technology for helping them solve crimes. These days, no matter where you go, it’s likely your picture has been taken. Cities across Alabama were ramping up security, installing Flock Cameras as a part of their crime-fighting strategy. “Stolen vehicle, wanted persons, Silver alerts, Amber Alerts, registered sex offenders and other notifications like that,” Cpt. Shane Ware with the Vestavia Hill’s Police Department explained. Read the full article
Read MoreAL: Jackson County child pornographer sentenced to 320 years in prison
Source: waaytv.com 10/20/21 A Jackson County man has been sentenced to 320 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges involving child pornography. Stephen Frederick ____, 51, on Wednesday was sentenced to 3,840 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. In August, Stephen Frederick ____pleaded guilty to 10 counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He’ll also have to register as a sex offender. “The sentence handed down today ensures that this man, who stole the innocence of a young…
Read MoreAL: Gadsden person on the registry arrested for not carrying proper identification
Source: cbs42.com 6/22/21 ETOWAH COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — A Gadsden man was arrested during a traffic stop last week when authorities discovered he had a sex offense conviction in his past and did not meet the identification requirements under Alabama law. According to the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, Timothy ____ was arrested during a traffic stop in the Gallant area on June 16. During the traffic stop, the deputy discovered Timothy had a sex offense conviction in his past and he was not carrying the required identification needed under Alabama…
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