A bill filed by Muhlenberg County state Rep. Melinda Gibbons Prunty would, if approved, create an annual fee that would be paid by people required to register with the state sex offender registry. Full Article
Read MoreTag: Kentucky
KY: A lawmaker accused of molesting a teen killed himself. His widow calls it a ‘high-tech lynching.’
Dan Johnson posted a final message on Facebook to his friends and family Wednesday afternoon. It appeared to be a goodbye. In it, he denied the accusations that had tormented him and his family for the past 48 hours — that he, a Kentucky state representative and the self-proclaimed “Pope” of his Louisville church — had gotten drunk and molested a 17-year-old girl during a sleepover at the church years ago. Full Article
Read MoreKY: Children’s Advocacy Center Of The Bluegrass To Receive Funds Resulting From Federal Government’s Forfeiture And Sale Of Residence Owned By Two Men Convicted Of Child Abuse
The United States Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the FBI, the Fayette Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Lexington Police Department, and the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass (CAC) jointly announced today that a portion of proceeds from the sale of the Lexington residence owned by two men convicted of child abuse will be shared with the CAC. Full Article
Read MoreKY: Judge strikes down Kentucky’s social media ban for sex offenders
UPDATED – Kentucky’s registered sex offenders have the constitutional right to use Facebook, Twitter and other online social media, a federal judge ruled Friday. Full Article Related Plaintiff’s discussion on reddit.com (added 10/21) Opinion
Read MoreKY: Court rules in underage sex case involving teens
FRANKFORT, Ky. — After more than a year as a couple, a 15-year-old boy and his 13-year-old girlfriend had sex on two occasions at her Kentucky home. When her parents found out, the boy was charged with a felony. The girl avoided any charges. The case reached the Kentucky Supreme Court, and some judges said they were troubled by the “selective prosecution.” Citing Shakespeare, one justice said: “None of us would fault Romeo more than Juliet.” Full Article
Read MoreKY: Many ‘sex offenders’ also deserve rights restored (Opinion)
Gov. Beshear’s recent decision to restore voting rights to many felons is an encouraging step toward criminal justice reform. The governor listed a litany of reasons why ‘it makes no sense” to deny opportunities to those seeking to rebuild their lives after serving out their sentences. He cited a key study that those whose rights are restored are less likely to commit another crime. Though this signifies a significant policy shift, I am disappointed that the governor’s executive order did not go far enough. He excluded among others, those who…
Read MoreKY: No place to live, sex offenders kept in prison
____ ____ ____ served out every bit of his eight-year sentence for sexual abuse and should have been released from prison more than a year ago. But he is still behind bars and could be for up to four more years, with state taxpayers footing the bill for his medical expenses and incarceration. The reason: He was charged with violating the terms of his conditional release from prison before he even got out, because he couldn’t find a legal place to live as a sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreKY: Teen sex a crime? Ky high court to hear case
The eighth-grade boy and his seventh-grade girlfriend had been dating about 1½ years when they decided to have sex, which they did twice at her house when nobody was home. The boy, 15, also texted two nude pictures of himself to the girl, 13, who sent him one back. When the girl’s parents found the pictures on her phone, they took out a warrant in Woodford Circuit Court, and the boy was charged with sexual misconduct, a misdemeanor, and possessing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, a felony.…
Read MoreKY: Viewing child porn not victimless crime; Ky. punishment fair (Op-Ed)
I am a clinical psychologist, lately retired after 12 years of service to the state as an approved provider of sex-offender evaluations to the courts. I wish to address misconceptions in the Guy Hamilton-Smith commentary, in which he complained that he was being unduly punished by being required to register as a sex offender and the subsequent letter of support from Marjorie Valentine of CAUTIONclick National Campaign for Reform. First, possession of or viewing child pornography is not punished as a violent crime in Kentucky, as the letter’s headline suggests.…
Read MoreKY: Sex-offender registry misguided thinking
I am a sex offender. I know well the tremendous power of those words. In 2007, I pled guilty to possession of child pornography. Nothing here is meant to defend what I did or to minimize the gravity of my actions. I had a major problem with pornography, and I was far too deep in denial and too scared to reach out to anyone. Full Op-Ed Piece Related: RSO Registered sex offender wants permission to practice law
Read MoreKY: (Registered) Sex offender looks to gain admission to Kentucky bar
LOUISVILLE, KY. – ____ ____ ____ graduated in the top third of his law school class at the University of Kentucky, but the state Supreme Court blocked him from taking the bar exam because he is a registered sex offender. In the first case of its kind in Kentucky, the court rejected ____’s bid and a move by the state Office of Bar Admissions to create and endorse a blanket rule that would have kept all registered sex offenders from gaining access to the bar. Full Article
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