Source: thecourier.com 2/19/23 FREMONT — All 88 county sheriffs have been provided with new cameras to improve the registration process of convicted sexual offenders, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Friday. “Ohio’s sex offender registration system plays a critical role in holding convicted offenders accountable, and, in the hands our county sheriffs, these tools ensure that photographs are clear and uniform across the state,” Yost said. “Our job is to support local law enforcement, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with this grant.” In 59 counties, sheriff’s offices that requested…
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OH: Ohio bans child sex offenders from working with kids
Source: news5cleveland.com 1/5/23 COLUMBUS, Ohio — A newly-signed law will stop convicted child sex offenders in Ohio from working or volunteering with kids. Convicted sex offenders in the state have always been able to work around children legally, much to the chagrin of parents like Rebecca Surendorff and others who realize nothing can be done. “This is, frankly, a crisis level, and we’re not giving it the thought and attention that it deserves,” Surendorff said. The law has not prevented it — until now. Read the full article
Read MoreOH: Sex offender, homicide suspect killing in Columbus sees no charges for SWAT deputies
Source: nbc4i.com 12/16/22 COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The officers involved in the fatal shooting of a double homicide suspect in northeast Columbus will not be indicted, the county prosecutor said Thursday. A grand jury voted against prosecuting two Franklin County Sheriff’s Office SWAT deputies, according to the office of Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Gary Tyack. The pair were attempting on June 7 to serve an arrest warrant on 20-year-old Pozz Striblin. At around 7 p.m. that evening, the two SWAT deputies went to a Sunoco gas station at Stelzer and…
Read MoreOH: Surprise survey finds compliance among registered sexual offenders
Source: dispatch.com 12/13/22 Several law-enforcement agencies Dec. 2 conducted unannounced checks of 40 registered sex offenders in Delaware County, finding that a high percentage were in compliance with their residential registration. During the survey, only one was found not in compliance with Ohio’s rules for registered sex offenders. Read the full article
Read MoreOH: Lawmakers consider changing penalties for sex offenders
Source: journal-news.com 11/16/22 A bill to modify the state’s law on people charged civilly, but not criminally, with child sexual abuse had its first hearing Tuesday in the House Criminal Justice Committee. House Bill 689 would double the statute of limitations, from two years to four, for prosecuting a mandatory reporter who failed to report child abuse, said the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati. That is the longest period for any misdemeanor offense, he said. For cases in which the statute of limitations for prosecuting sex offenders has…
Read MoreOH: Woman quits haunted house job in Columbia Station over registered sex offender co-workers
Source: news5cleveland.com 10/3/22 COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio — A registered sex offender may have been scaring your children for fun at a Northeast Ohio haunted house. It’s a tip received by News 5 Investigators, and in less than 24 hours, we learned two felons were fired. Kim Neubauer says she worked at the Spooky Ranch in Columbia Station for one day this season before quitting. “I did not want to go back this year but I thought I’d try it. I want to go have some fun and make some money. I wish…
Read MoreOH: Man charged with raping child found dead with alleged victim’s relative, troopers say
Source: fox19.com 9/14/22 ASHTABULA COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) – A child rape suspect was found dead along with a family member of the alleged victim Sunday morning. The deaths are still being investigated, but Ohio State Highway Patrol said they believe it was a murder-suicide. Troopers found the bodies of 34-year-old Wesley Thomas and his 31-year-old girlfriend at the New Lyme Wildlife Area in Ashtabula County around 8:20 a.m. Sunday. Officials said the bodies were found with gunshot wounds on the ground near a vehicle, and a gun was found…
Read MoreOH: Ohio to Pay $17.5M to Convicted Child Sex Offender After Prison Guards Boasted About Paralyzing Him
Source: toofab.com 11/4/21 “It feels good to know that I played a small part in paralyzing a cho, LMAO.” A convicted child sex offender in Ohio is to receive $17.5 million in compensation after prison guards left him paralyzed — and boasted about it afterwards. 21-year-old Seth Fletcher was left in a wheelchair and unable to move from the chest down after he was tackled and dropped multiple times while handcuffed. The incident occurred Chillicothe Correctional Institution on around 6 PM on April 2, 2020, when during a strip search,…
Read MoreOH: Ohio mayor tells ENTIRE school board to resign or ‘face child pornography charges’ after teachers gave children writing prompt to ‘write a sex scene you wouldn’t show your mom’
Source: dailymail.co.uk 9/16/21 A mayor in Ohio has threatened the city’s entire school board with criminal charges unless they resign over highly sexual writing prompts that teachers gave to underage students. Hudson Mayor Craig Schubert delivered the harsh ultimate during a school board meeting on Monday, garnering loud applause from outraged parents who also spoke out on the issue. At issue are the highly inappropriate writing prompts distributed to students in the Liberal Arts II writing class at Hudson High School, including ‘Write a sex scene you wouldn’t show your mom’,…
Read MoreOH: Lawmakers Re-introduce Reagan Tokes Act at Ohio Statehouse
[10tv.com – 4/15/21] The bill named after murdered Ohio State student Reagan Tokes aims to shore up problems with monitoring ex-prisoners first uncovered by 10 Investigates House lawmakers re-introduced a bill Thursday named after murdered Ohio State student Reagan Tokes that aims to shore up shortfalls with how ex-prisoners re-enter society and are monitored by parole officers once they leave prison. 10 Investigates has exposed example after example of the state’s repeated inability to closely monitor violent ex-offenders in recent years. The results were deadly. Reagan Tokes became one of…
Read MoreOH: Effort underway to charge sex offenders federally
[10tv.com – 2/22/21] COLUMBUS, Ohio — Preying on children and spending very little time in jail; it may surprise you just how many sex offenders have been multiple times before seeing serious times behind bars. There is an effort underway to charge those offenders federally. … Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Rick Minerd says it is disheartening for his investigators when an offender faces little or no jail time. “It is frustrating for law enforcement at times when we see repeat offenders. Let’s face it, law enforcement, it’s hard…
Read MoreOH: Court sides with state in sex offender jurisdiction case
[wfmj.com – 12/3/20] COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The ability of a judge to hold a hearing on a juvenile’s sex offender classification status doesn’t automatically expire when the child turns 21, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. At issue before the court was a Cincinnati-area defendant who sexually abused two young relatives when he was 14, according to court records. The defendant was convicted in juvenile court in 2011 and labeled a juvenile sexual offender, requiring him to register with authorities annually for ten years, the records show. State law…
Read MoreOH: Landlord with convicted rapist as tenant tests nationwide eviction moratorium
[beaconjournal.com – 11/4/20] When Norton resident Charles Fowler discovered he had a Barberton tenant with a criminal record that included rape living at one of his rental properties, he knew he had a problem. For one, there was a nationwide moratorium on evictions. The ban was first passed by Congress earlier this year as a response to rising unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic. That ban expired, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order extending it until Dec. 31. .. He contacted U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez’s…
Read MoreOH: Coronavirus In Ohio: People With Sex Offenses Risk Health For In-Person Registration
[radio.wosu.org – 5/7/20] Even as most Ohioans are encouraged to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, people convicted of sexual offenses are still required to register in person. Some Ohio counties and even nearby states have waived that in-person requirement, but most, including Franklin County, have not. “So we are crossing over to the records department here in Franklin County where they make everyone start their registration journey,” says Zach Ruppel. Ruppel is familiar with this journey: He often walks people through the sex offender registration process for their first…
Read MoreOH: Cleveland Police: Final warning for dumped child sex files sergeant
[bbc.com – 11/27/19] A police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct after confidential files about paedophiles and their victims were found dumped in a recycling bin outside his home. Sgt Martin Skirving-Chehab, of Cleveland Police, took two carrier bags of paperwork home before his mother-in-law accidentally threw them out. The papers contained details about 55 sex offenders. A police misconduct panel gave him a final written warning. It found the officer failed to sort through the carrier bags, risk assess the material or store it in a secure…
Read MoreOH: Ohio state lawmaker re-introduces 18-and-under sexting bill
[cleveland.com – 11/20/19] COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio state lawmaker has proposed banning sexting for those 18 and under. Underage sexting is already illegal, but Senate Bill 239, introduced Wednesday, carves out a legal definition that makes it a less-serious offense than other crimes involving sexual images of minors. The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Nathan Manning, a North Ridgeville Republican, said his proposed law is meant to prevent minors from facing charges that would force them to register as a sex offender. Read more
Read MoreOH: First emergency homeless shelter opens in Fremont
[nbc24.com – 11/18/19] FREMONT, Ohio (WNWO) — More than a year of dedication has led to the first emergency homeless shelter in Sandusky County. … The facility holds up to eight people per night, and will take anyone that is not a sex offender. Read the full article
Read MoreOH: Sheriff’s office says check sex offender list before children go trick-or-treating
[salemnews.net – 10/18/19] LISBON — With about 158 registered sex offenders living in Columbiana County, the county sheriff’s office is reminding residents they can check for the registered addresses online so children can avoid those houses while trick-or-treating. “We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living,” said Chief Deputy Kip Dowling, adding he encourages county citizens to check…
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