A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s sex offender registration laws, but the 134 anonymous sex offenders who brought the lawsuit have the option to refile the case if they can show the current laws caused them actual harm. Full Article
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ID: Sex Offender Registry SNAFU
____ ____ wears a small camera pinned to his shirt. He wants his activities recorded because he is unsure what hairpin turn he may come up against next. There have been a lot of switchbacks and bumps over the past 13 years, and the latest one, what he calls a false accusation coupled with threats from Idaho State Police, is taking a toll on his health. ____, 54, accuses Idaho State Police of coercing him into registering as a sex offender although he has never had to register anywhere else,…
Read MoreID: Idaho Senate panel introduces bill to broaden sex crime laws
[idahostatesman.com] An Idaho Senate committee has introduced two bills that would broaden the definition of some sex crimes to include crimes committed with the intent of degrading or humiliating someone. Idaho Deputy Attorney General Paul Panther told the Senate Judiciary and Rules committee on Monday that both the state’s current statute on sexual battery and the statue on forcible penetration with a foreign object define the crimes as having been done with the intent of sexual gratification or arousal. But Panther said those statutes currently don’t cover situations like severe…
Read MoreID: Lawsuit over Idaho’s sex-offender registry laws expands to 134 plaintiffs
A lawsuit filed last year by 104 sex offenders challenging Idaho’s laws that require registration and community notification of sex offenders has been expanded to 134 sex offenders. They say the laws violate an array of constitutional rights, from the prohibition on double jeopardy to freedom of religion. Full Article
Read More“One strike for sex offenders should be enough” – change.org Petition
“The system failed me and my family and I’m going to do whatever it takes to put an end to the psychos running the streets.” – Shasta Groene For anyone living in the Pacific Northwest in May of 2005, the survival story of Shasta Groene is one you could not turn away from. It has now been almost 11 1/2 years since ____ ____ , a sex offender with a long record of assaults on children, abducted Shasta and her brother Dylan from their Idaho home where another brother, Slade,…
Read MoreID: 104 sex offenders sue Idaho over its registry laws
A lawsuit challenging Idaho’s laws governing registration and community notification of sex offenders seeks a permanent injunction to stop the state and counties from enforcing portions of the law. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Boise federal court on behalf of 104 unnamed sexual offenders, identified as Does 1-104, argues that Idaho’s sex offender registry laws violate the U.S. and Idaho constitutions. Full Article Lawsuit
Read MorePA: Gun rights for sex offender lands in Idaho Supreme Court
BOISE – A former Idaho man’s problems convincing the state of Pennsylvania he should have the right to bear arms landed in the Idaho Supreme Court Tuesday. ____ ____ was convicted of rape in Idaho in 1992, a felony that carries a permanent loss of gun rights. That conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor in 2004 through a sentencing agreement, but he was still required to register as a sex offender. That kind of arrangement couldn’t happen today; Idaho changed its laws in 2006 to prevent a conviction on a felony…
Read MoreID: Bill would add violent criminals to sex offender registry
BOISE — An Idaho legislative panel is considering a bill to add people convicted of violent crimes – such as murder, kidnapping and felony domestic violence – to the state’s sex offender registry. The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to consider expanding the registry to include violent offenders. Full Article
Read MoreID: Man Sentenced for Felony Battery on Registered Sex Offender
TWIN FALLS – A man convicted of felony aggravated battery for beating a 69-year-old man was sentenced Monday in Twin Falls County District Court. Bradley Houser, 35, was sentenced to the state’s retained jurisdiction program. He will attend the Correctional Alternative Placement Program through the Idaho Department of Correction. After the program, a judge can either put Houser on probation or send him to prison for an underlying sentence of three to 15 years. Houser was also ordered to reimburse the county public defender’s office for $500 and was ordered to pay…
Read MoreID: E-mail Notifications Feature Added to Idaho State Sex Offender Registry System
Citizens can now elect to receive e-mail notifications when a sex offender in their neighborhood moves to a new location. When interested persons register for this new service, they can specify the given radius of the area they desire to keep tabs on. Additionally, if a person is interested in being notified when a particular registrant moves, there is a link provided under the picture on each registrant’s page that reads, “Track Registrant.” When the user clicks on the link, they will be asked to provide the e-mail address where notifications…
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