IA: Supreme Court rules on sex offender supervision of Waterloo man

The Iowa Supreme Court is questioning whether the supervision of a Waterloo man who was deemed a sexually violent predator is constitutional. ____ ___, 57, was committed to treatment at the Iowa Department of Human Services’ Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders in Cherokee in 2001 after he was released from prison for a 1995 sexual abuse conviction in Dubuque. The state’s sexual predator laws allow for civil confinement for convicted sex offenders who have a mental abnormality that makes them more likely than not to carry out future sex…

Read More

IA: Blue Grass woman finds her own address on sex offender registry, used without her knowledge

BLUE GRASS, Iowa (KWQC) — We hear about the sex offender registry when there is a change in the law or a big compliance check. But does it really hold offenders accountable? A Blue Grass woman says, not as much as you might expect. And her story hits close to home. She lives in an established neighborhood with nice houses fronted by big yards. You wouldn’t think a sex offender lived there. And as far as we know, one doesn’t. But for a little while this winter, Stefanie Mucha’s Valley…

Read More

IA: Expanding sex offender registry is unworkable (Editorial)

____ ____’s anger is understandable. In 1983, she was raped in Des Moines by ____ ____, who served less than five years in prison for the offense. In 1997, ____ was convicted of robbery and served an additional 17 years behind bars before being sent to the Fort Des Moines Community Corrections Center last month. ____ ‘s conviction on the rape charge predates Iowa’s 1995 creation of the state sex offender registry by almost 12 years. As such, he is not required to register with the state as a sex…

Read More

IA: Change to Custody Law Regarding Sex Offenders

2012 – A new law tells judges in custody cases to consider if a parent let a child be around a sex offender.  The change in Iowa custody law took effect July 1, 2012. It adds to the long list of factors a judge can consider to decide what custody arrangement is in the best interest of a child.  The new law allows the judge to consider if a parent let someone have custody, control or unsupervised access to a child while knowing the person is required to register as…

Read More