Source: lakemchenryscanner.com 1/7/26 Prosecutors say a Lakemoor man created a homemade explosive device, which required the bomb squad to respond, and they believe he intended to blow up an alleged sex offender. Joseph A. Savino, 43, of Lakemoor, was charged with one count of possession of an explosive or incendiary device, a Class 1 felony. The Lakemoor Police Department responded on October 18 to the 31800 block of Darrell Road in Lakemoor for a report of a burglary. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis said a caretaker arrived at…
Read MoreTag: Florida
FL: Questions about how Florida tracks sex offenders who do not have a permanent place to live
Source: winknews.com 12/26/25 The man arrested in connection with the disappearance of a teenager near Fort Myers Beach over the weekend has been released from jail after posting bond early Friday morning. Worden Bourn was arrested on charges of marijuana possession and providing drugs to a minor. He is also a registered sex offender. Bourn’s arrest has raised questions about how Florida tracks sex offenders who do not have a permanent place to live — a category known under state law as “transient” sex offenders. According to the Florida…
Read MoreFL: Florida’s new reporting system is shining a light on human trafficking in the Sunshine State
Source: theconversation.com 12/8/25 Most Americans imagine human trafficking as a violent kidnapping or a “stranger danger” crime – someone abducted from a parking lot or trapped in a shipping container brought in from another country. In fact, trafficking rarely takes this form. In most cases, traffickers spend months or even years building trust and creating emotional and economic bonds with their victims. They use a variety of coercion and control techniques such as emotional abuse, forced criminality, financial abuse, and physical and sexual abuse to entrap their victims. Meanwhile, the perpetrators are making…
Read MoreFL: Former Miami-Dade cop dead of apparent suicide days before child pornography sentencing
Source: nbcmiami.com 11/18/25 [ACSOL comment: Another tragic and unnecessary loss] Former Miami-Dade Police Sgt. James ____ died by apparent suicide in the Federal Detention Center-Miami Monday just days before he faced a minimum 15-year sentence for producing and possessing child sexual abuse videos, his attorney has confirmed to NBC6. The attorney, Michael Catalano, said the Bureau of Prisons informed him on Monday that James was found alone in the top bunk in his cell, dead of an apparent suicide by strangulation. It is the second apparent suicide of an inmate…
Read MoreFL: ‘Missy’s Law’ filed with hopes to prohibit the release of sex offenders while awaiting sentencing
Source: wctv.tv 11/18/25 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Florida bill, intended to prohibit the release of sexual offenders on bail while they await sentencing, was filed Tuesday. “Missy’s Law,” filed by Representative Sam Greco, is named after 5-year-old Missy Mogle, who was found unresponsive at a southeast Tallahassee home in May. Since then, her mom, Chloe Spencer, and stepdad, Daniel Spencer, were both arrested after being accused of cruelly neglecting and abusing the young girl. … The legislation wrote that it would be “requiring a court to remand a person found guilty…
Read MoreFL: Florida to seek death penalty against child rapist; asks SCOTUS to reconsider execution precedent
Source: floridaphoenix.com 11/12/25 AG Uthmeier cites accusations against nanny who recorded himself molesting at least 5 children. While announcing that Florida will seek the death penalty for a 36-year-old nanny indicted for raping multiple young children, including a three-year-old, Attorney General James Uthmeier called on the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday to reverse a decades-old decision declaring it unconstitutional to execute child rapists. Uthmeier stressed during a Brooksville press conference that Nathan _______, accused of videoing the rape of five children under 12 in Hernando County — with more rapes…
Read MoreFL: Registrant arrested for crossing a school parking lot (entrapment by geography)
Source: tapinto.net and FAC 11/10/25 MELBOURNE, FL – Melbourne police arrested a 46-year-old Cocoa man Nov. 6 after officers said he was walking through the parking lot of Melbourne High School in violation of a local ordinance restricting registered sex offenders from entering certain areas. Why was the man arrested near Melbourne High School? According to an affidavit signed by Officer Emily Renken, Renken and Officer McGaha were patrolling South Babcock Street at about 9:07 p.m. when they saw a man in a black hoodie and black shorts walking through the parking lot…
Read MoreFlorida action alert: Take action now to oppose HB 45 / SB 212
Source: Florida Action Committee [Janice’s note: Florida residents (people in other states can also take action), please take action now to stop these terrible bills] The Florida bill banning registrants from living within 1000 feet from public pools, beaches, lakes, and rivers will be taken up before the House Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee subcommittee in just under two weeks. We NEED our members to contact the legislators at the bottom of this message to express their opposition to this… Click here to take action
Read MoreFL: Florida arrest fuels debate over dropping the term ‘child pornography’ from state law
Source: cbs12.com 10/30/25 PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida lawmakers are considering whether to strike the term “child pornography” from state law — replacing it with “child sexual-abuse material,” or CSAM. The push for change comes as a South Florida man faces more than two dozen felony charges for possessing and uploading explicit videos of children — files detectives say he called his “drug.” … The language debate The arrest comes as Florida lawmakers debate how these crimes should be defined under state law. Under current statute, Smith is charged…
Read MoreFL: Florida cases seeking death penalty for child sex abuse could test precedent in Supreme Court
Source: abajournal.com 10/30/25 Two Florida prosecutions could test the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in 2008 that held that the death penalty for child rape is unconstitutional. Prosecutors in Palm Beach County, Florida, filed notice earlier this month that they intend to seek the death penalty for Josue Mendez-Sales, and his roommate, Pablo Cobon-Mendez, who are accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports in a story published by the Tampa Bay Times. And in Putnam County, Florida, prosecutors indicated in June that they will…
Read MoreFL: 181 people arrested in human trafficking operation [Registry crime prevention failure–no registrants mentioned arrested!]
Source: tampabay28.com 10/30/25 TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrests 181 people in human trafficking operation, including a high school instructor. Sheriff Chad Cronister held a press conference on Thursday to discuss the details of their most recent human trafficking operation. In total, 181 people were arrested, and one 17-year-old victim was rescued. Read the full article
Read MoreFL Action Alert! Florida bill banning registrants from residing near pools, beaches, lakes, rivers
Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 10/30/25 [Janice’s note: Florida residents, please click here to take action now] House Bill 45 and Senate Bill 212 seek to add to the 1,000 ft residency restrictions of childcare facilities, schools, parks and playgrounds by including “public swimming pools” and “public bathing places”. These residency restrictions result in 80% or more of Florida being off limits for registrant housing. Registrants who have committed one of the enumerated offenses; involving a victim under 16 years of age; and after 2004 for a Florida offense or 2010 for an…
Read MoreFL: The Parents Who Wrote Florida’s Sex Offender Laws
Source: YouTube 10/5/25 Stacey Dooley explores the extreme sex offender laws in Florida, focusing on the controversial 2,500-foot residency restrictions. Meet offenders like Chris Dawson in Miracle Village and Brandon, forced into a Miami homeless camp, who desperately seek rehabilitation and a second chance. Their stories are juxtaposed with the unwavering stance of… Watch the video
Read MoreFL: Putnam County passes one of Florida’s toughest sex offender ordinances after ‘Predator Camp’ outcry
Source: Florida Action Committee re: actionnewsjax.com 9/12/25 Months after a storm of community outrage over what neighbors called a “predator camp,” Putnam County has enacted one of the strictest sex offender ordinances in the state of Florida. The controversial park at the center of it all — CCM Park on Balsam Street — once housed more than 22 registered sex offenders living in proximity. The situation sparked public concern, a series of investigative reports, and ultimately, sweeping legislative action. Action News Jax Nicholas Brooks revisited the site this week and…
Read MoreFL: Florida Supreme Court to Review “Sexual Predator” Driver’s License Labeling
Source: Florida Action Committee 9/9/25 A case with major implications for the constitutional rights of those on the registry is now headed to the Florida Supreme Court. Attorneys for Michael Crist have filed a notice seeking review of an appellate decision that upheld Florida’s requirement that people classified as “sexual predators” have that exact phrase printed in bold letters on their driver’s licenses. Crist, who was accused in 2019 of trying to cover the label with a sticker, argued that the mandate violates the First Amendment by forcing individuals to…
Read MoreFL: Florida can keep ‘sexual predator’ marking on driver’s licenses, appeals court rules
Source: floridapolitics.com 8/18/25 The case arose after a sexual predator was sent back to prison after his probation officer found a smiley-face sticker covering the label on his license. Florida can continue branding convicted sexual predators on their driver’s licenses. In a divided ruling, the 5th District Court of Appeal has upheld the constitutionality of requiring state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards to have “SEXUAL PREDATOR” stamped on them if the holder has been convicted of such a crime. The ruling reverses an earlier panel’s action striking down the law as unconstitutional…
Read MoreFL: Florida Sues Huge Porn Sites Including XVideos and Bang Bros Over Age Verification Law
Source: 404media.co 4/5/25 The state of Florida is suing some of the biggest porn platforms on the internet, accusing them of not complying with the state’s law that requires adult sites to verify that visitors are over the age of 18. The lawsuit, brought by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, is against the companies that own popular porn platforms including XVideos, XNXX, Bang Bros and Girls Gone Wild, and the adult advertising network TrafficFactory.com. Several of these platforms are owned by companies that are based outside of the U.S. Uthmeier alleges…
Read MoreFL: Ex-CA Politician Tries to Whip Up Hysteria to Make His Registrant Neighbor Homeless
Source: sjcitizen.com 6/18/25 Brian Pepin, a father of three and former member of the Poway City Council in California, publicly called for stricter sex offender residency restrictions during Tuesday’s St. Johns County Board of Commissioners meeting. Now a political consultant, Pepin recently moved to St. Augustine with his family and said that a registered sex offender moved directly across the street from their home. He shared the emotional impact this has had on his family during the public comment period. “Last week we learned that the guy that moved in across…
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