Tag: Oklahoma

OK: Can child sexual abusers be rehabilitated? Experts weigh in on treatment and likelihood of reoffending

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Source: stwnewspress.com 10/14/21 By the end of August, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections had more than 2,000 people incarcerated for sexual crimes against children, ranging from fondling to rape. In that timeframe, there were 23 inmates from Payne County in DOC custody convicted of child sexual crimes, with several other inmates still being in the Payne County Jail, who haven’t been transferred to DOC after their conviction. There are 10 inmates at the county jail who have been convicted this year. With so many inmates convicted of sexual violence against…

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OK: Law enforcement pushing to close loophole allowing sex offenders at Oklahoma school bus stops

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[krmg.com – 5/12/21] TULSA, Okla. — Law enforcement says there is a loophole in the law that allows convicted sexual predators to legally be at your child’s school bus stop. After learning of the oversight, following an incident in April, FOX23 went to police and lawmakers to find out what they are doing about it. … Adams wants to give other sex offenders a reason to stay away, so he went to Oklahoma State Rep. Ross Ford. “It really upsets me that we have let that fall through the cracks,”…

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OK: Police Investigating After Registered Sex Offender Killed In Pottawatomie County

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[news9.com – 2/26/19] POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY, Oklahoma – The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting near Macomb. A gunshot victim, 60-year-old Harry L. Venosdel Jr., was found around 5 p.m. Sunday, February 24, at his home located off White Oaks Lane. Venosdel Jr. was discovered by others who live on the same plot of land. 911 Caller: “I just got home and found him dead laying out in front of his trailer.” 911 Caller: “He’s lying there, his eyes are kind of hazy, stiff, and cold…” Before detectives…

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OK: Some law enforcement worry new, stricter law will discourage sex offenders from registering

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A new law that further tightens restrictions on where sex offenders can live has some law enforcement agencies concerned it will discourage people from registering as offenders. The law, which went into effect on Nov. 1, added home daycares to the list of locations sex offenders cannot live near. Prior to that, state law already prohibited offenders from living near child-friendly areas, ordering them to live 2,000 feet from public and private schools, churches, playgrounds, parks or daycare centers. The law did not apply to home daycares, of which Oklahoma…

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OK: Today, They Stamped “Sex Offender” on My Driver’s License

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I’d been dreading this day for months – the final day before my Oklahoma state driver’s license expired. Recently, my state had passed legislation requiring that the licenses of those convicted of aggravated sex offenses be marked “Sex Offender” in bold capital red letters in two different locations on the front of the card. Red letter days are supposed to be joyful occasions, but not so much in this case. I certainly wasn’t going to submit to this particular humiliation by renewing my license any earlier than necessary, so I…

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OK: Two dads pose as teenage girls online to lure ‘pedophiles.’ They caught one, Oklahoma cops say

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[star-telegram.com – 5/31/18] Russell Goodwin and Jeremy Thomas think of themselves as the Pedophile Patrol. One local news station called them video vigilantes. The two Oklahoma City dads have gained a modest Facebook following for their page, where they post videos of themselves confronting men they say are pedophiles. They call themselves “Oklahoma Pedophile Prevention. They make their claims through similar tactics to those used by the show which ran on NBC from 2004 to 2007. They pose as teens and exchange either texts or social media messages with men…

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OK: The “Justice for Danyelle Act of 2018”: The Shady Tactics behind another Oklahoma Knee Jerk Law

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[sosen.org – 5/31/18] Oklahoma’s “Justice for Danyelle Act of 2018,” an act that prohibits registrants from living within 2,000 feet of their victim’s home and loitering within 1,000 feet of the same, is a prime example of a knee jerk law. This law also demonstrated one of the deceptive tactics that Oklahoma lawmakers use in order to advance their own personal agenda using the public safety issue. To add insult to injury this law is going to be applied unconstitutionally to over 6,800 registrants in Oklahoma and the author of…

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OK: Governor Fallin Signs Bill Barring Sex Offenders from Living Near Their Victims

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Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin today signed a bill that helps protect victims from their sex offenders. Fallin signed House Bill (HB) 1124, which prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet and loitering within 1,000 feet from their victims’ homes. Under current Oklahoma law, sex offenders are banned from living near places like schools and playgrounds, but it does not apply to a sex offender living near his or her adult victim. Full Article Related OK: Lawmaker Seeks Change After Sex Offender Gets Out of Prison, Moves Next Door to…

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OK: Sex offender registry laws grounded in reality, not cruelty [opinion]

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[newsok.com 4/10/18] The Oklahoman Editorial Board by The Oklahoman Editorial Board Published: April 10, 2018 LAST year, a federal court judge ruled that Colorado’s sex offender registry was unconstitutional because, basically, citizens might use it. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter wants that decision overturned, and is using arguments grounded in legal and practical reality. Hunter, joined by officials from several states, has filed an amicus brief with the 10th U.S. Court of Appeals urging reversal of the decision handed down by District Court Judge Richard Matsch, who said the Colorado…

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OK: Senate approves bill to fix loophole that allowed convicted sex offender to live next to victim

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State leaders are taking action after a victim shined a light on a little known loophole in Oklahoma’s law. “He’s like right there, practically in my backyard and that kind of makes me nervous and not want to go home ever,”   Danyelle Dyer told News 4 last year. Danyelle says her uncle, ____ ____, was released from prison after he was convicted of molesting her when she was a child. Full Article

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OK: Oklahoma lawmaker pushes bill for ‘chemical castration’ of sex offenders

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[theguardian.com] A Republican lawmaker is pushing to add Oklahoma to the list of states in which so-called chemical castration is an option for certain sex offenders. State representative Rick West, a first-term lawmaker from Heavener, said he filed the bill at the request of a constituent and that he fully intends to push for its passage. It is likely to face strong opposition, even in a conservative state. If approved, Oklahoma would join at least seven other states that have laws allowing courts to order chemical treatments that reduce male…

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OK: Legislation that updates, streamlines sex offender registration signed into law

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Legislation that would update and streamline sex offender registration has been signed into law. This week, Governor Mary Fallin signed legislation improving Oklahoma’s sex offender registry. … “The purpose of the sex offender registry continues to be public safety—to make sure law enforcement knows where registered sex offenders are living, and making that information available to our citizens,” said Griffin, R-Guthrie.  “This legislation streamlines the notification process, ensures greater consistency in assigning levels for registration, and adds an additional requirement for informing DHS when a sex offender returns to a…

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OK: Closing sex offender loophole

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Legislation has been filed seeking to close a loophole in Oklahoma statutes allowing sex offenders to live next door or near their victims. House Bill 1124, by Rep. Kyle Hilbert and Sen. James Leewright, seeks to change Oklahoma statutes to include the residency of the victim of a sex crime to the list of places that have a “zone of safety” around them. In Oklahoma law, the “zone of safety” is a 500-foot area around places that sex offenders are not allowed to loiter. However, the zone around a victim’s…

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OK: Two suspects identified in homicide of inmate at Oklahoma County jail

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An inmate at the Oklahoma County jail who died in early February was the victim of a homicide, the first at the troubled facility in almost three years, an autopsy report shows. Two suspects already have been identified and are in custody, authorities said. … Windle had served time in prison for a 2003 attempted rape and indecent exposure. He was jailed in September after telling police he had been living in a Del City park since April 2014 and sleeping underneath a bridge. He was awaiting trial on two…

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