Tag: Arizona

AZ: U.S. judge knocks down Arizona’s child-molestation law, orders ex-teacher released

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A U.S. District Court judge in Phoenix has found unconstitutional an Arizona law defining child molestation, and he ordered that a man who already has spent a decade in custody be released. In 2007, a Maricopa County jury found ____ ____guilty of five counts of molestation of a child and acquitted him of two other counts. An eighth count was dismissed by prosecutors. ____ was a former schoolteacher and swim instructor, and the charges came from allegations that he touched children inappropriately while giving them swim lessons. ____denied there was any…

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AZ: Women working together to change sex offender notification process

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Two North Valley women say they have their family lives and careers on hold, to fight for a safer community. Julie Read and Ann O’Brien, who live in the Norterra subdivision of the North Valley, started this mission after an old juvenile detention facility re-opened as the Maricopa Re-entry Center, a place where former inmates who were drug addicts and sex offenders would come for treatment. “It was literally 16 sex offenders came in one day, in addition to the dozens we already have living in our community,” said Read.…

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AZ: Supreme Court – Bail denial for child sex offenses is unconstitutional

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PHOENIX — State laws that deny bail to people solely because they’re accused of having sex with a minor are unconstitutional, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled today. The justices acknowledged arguments by prosecutors that trial judges have the right to keep certain people behind bars while awaiting trial as a method of protecting the public. And they said that the crime of sexual conduct with a minor is a series charge. But Justice Clint Bolick, writing for the unanimous court, said the seriousness of the charge, by itself, is insufficient…

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AZ: Palm Valley Phase I residents vote to ban some sex offenders

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Level II and III sex offenders are being banished from one Goodyear community after residents voted Dec. 2 to keep them out. Homeowners voted 185 to 32 in favor of an amendment to Palm Valley Phase I’s declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions that prohibits offenders from living there, said Curtis Ekmark, an attorney representing the homeowners association. Full Article Related http://www.hoaleader.com/public/Arizona-HOA-Changes-Rules-No-Sex-Offenders-or-Felons-Part-1.cfm

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AZ: Neighborhood in Goodyear set to vote on a partial ban on sex offenders

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A letter sent to residents in the Goodyear neighborhood of Palm Valley shows that they will soon vote on a proposal that would ban level two or level three sex offenders from living in the community. Part of the letter explains some of the concerns that apparently prompted the proposal: “WHEREAS, the Association has determined that Level 3 and Level 2 registered sex offenders present an unreasonable danger to the members of the Association due to 1) the Registrant’s access to the common areas of the Association to which all…

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AZ: If You Change a Baby’s Diaper in Arizona, You Can Now Be Convicted of Child Molestation

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The Arizona Supreme Court issued a stunning and horrifying decision on Tuesday, interpreting a state law to criminalize any contact between an adult and a child’s genitals. According to the court, the law’s sweep encompasses wholly innocent conduct, such as changing a diaper or bathing a baby. As the stinging dissent notes, “parents and other caregivers” in the state are now considered to be “child molesters or sex abusers under Arizona law.” Those convicted under the statute may be imprisoned for five years. Full Article Related PROSECUTORS WOULD NEVER DO…

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AZ: Supreme Court asked to reinstate no-bail law for some sex offenses

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Prosecutors are asking the Arizona Supreme Court to reinstate a law that allows some people accused of sexual abuse of minors to be held without bail. Deputy Maricopa County Attorney David Cole said the constitutional provision limiting access to bail was adopted by voters in 2002. He said the state Court of Appeals, in overturning the law enacted by lawmakers to implement that amendment, failed to give “due consideration to the overwhelming will of the people.” Full Article

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AZ: Sex offenders might be released by appeals court ruling

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Over 500 accused sex offenders could be released due to a ruling by the Arizona Appeals Court. This is a move that has shaken up the state’s prosecutor’s offices. The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled a state law passed in 2002 which automatically denies bail for accused sex offenders while the await trial is illegal. “Right now, we have a pending public safety disaster. There is a potential.. over 500 sex offenders who could be released,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Full Article

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AZ: Ducey signs bill ending some sex offender registration

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PHOENIX – Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed legislation allowing some offenders convicted of sexual conduct with a minor to ask a judge to end their need to register as a sex offender. Ducey signed House Bill 2539 by Republican Rep. Rusty Bowers on Tuesday. The legislation only applies to people convicted for an offense committed when they were 21 or younger, where the victim was between 15 and 17 years old and the sex was consensual. Full Article

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AZ: Pastor who helped ex-cons, sex-offenders killed in home invasion

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A pastor known for his outreach to addicts, homeless ex-convicts and sex offenders was killed Friday night in a home invasion in central Phoenix. Jack Moriarty, whose imposing figure, tattoos and thick goatee made him look more like a biker than a preacher, was shot to death at about 8:30 p.m. Friday after two unknown suspects entered a home near 20th Avenue and Monroe Street, police said. Full Article

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