VA: Neighbors concerned about plans for a sanctuary for people listed on the registry in Wise County

Source: wcyb.com 7/5/21 WISE COUNTY, Va. —An East Stone Gap community is concerned after learning a sanctuary for people with a sex offense conviction in their past might be intentionally relocated to their neighborhood. Residents of the Inby Lane Mobile Home Park received this letter from their landlord. Image of letter Longtime resident Vernon Porch Jr. has an eight-year-old daughter. Porch says he plans to leave the mobile home park. “Most of the time we have eight kids here just playing at my house and we can’t live here anymore…

Read More

FL: Flagler County adds new restrictions on where people listed on the registry can reside

[palmcoastobserver.com – 6/8/21] The Flagler County Commission has enacted new restrictions on where people listed on the sexual offense registry may reside, increasing safety buffers around places where children are known to gather. The commission voted 5-0 in favor of the new regulations during its June 7 meeting after Sheriff Rick Staly spoke in favor of the additional limits. The county’s existing ordinance had barred people listed on the registry from residing within 1,000 feet of schools, daycare centers, parks or playgrounds. The commission’s June 7 vote adds school bus…

Read More

WI: Judge rules 2nd person listed on registry cannot be housed near Salem Lakes parks

[cbs58.com – 6/1/21] SALEM LAKES, Wis. (CBS 58) — Salem Lakes residents are finally feeling at ease. On Tuesday, June 1, a Kenosha County judge ruled against housing a person listed on the registry in their backyard. The courtroom was packed and testimony was tense, but ultimately, the judge ruled Dale Peshek cannot live on Camp Lake Road. Another hearing ended, still with no home for the person convicted of a sex offense, who appeared in court by video. Read the full article  

Read More

WA: Kelso council pauses halfway house construction for six months to develop limits on sex offender housing

[tdn.com – 5/19/21] Developers of halfway houses cannot build in Kelso for the next six months while the city council reviews how it can limit the number of registered sex offenders living in one home. … Councilman Keenan Harvey first raised the issue in March because he said multiple sex offenders living in one area encourages additional crime and discourages people from living nearby. Read the full article  

Read More

What makes school zones “safe” for children?

[floridaactioncommittee.org – 5/11/21] Dear Members and Advocates, What makes school zones “safe” for children? Residency restrictions and proximity ordinances preventing persons required to register as sex offenders from living or even entering within thousands of feet of a school somehow create the illusion that once inside the exclusion zone, our children will be safe from sexual assault. Nothing can be further from the truth. We see this example over and over again, most recently in the case of a Tampa, Florida teacher who was sentenced to 15 years in prison…

Read More

TX: Kyle approves child safety zones to restrict sex offender residency within city

[communityimpact.com – 5/4/21] After several months of discussion and amending guidelines, the city of Kyle has approved implementation of child safety zones that would restrict where registered sex offenders may reside. … City officials noted during discussion of the ordinance in February that based on its definition of common areas where children gather, residency within 95% of Kyle would be off limits for registered sex offenders. Read the full article Related: Kyle officials revisit safety zones designed to restrict registered sex offender residency [communityimpact.com – 4/20/21]  

Read More

PA: What protections are in place to stop repeat sexual offenders FOX43 Reveals

[fox43.com – 5/2/21] HARRISBURG, Pa. — Most registered sex offenders are well within their rights to live close to a school or daycare—and many do. FOX43 Reveals how often it is happening and what protections are in place to stop repeat offenders. Each month, daycare supervisor Karla Rivero gets a new batch of mugshots of registered sex offenders that live near her work: Busy Bees Child Care Center in Lancaster. “If I could tell you the amount of papers we receive in a month, it’s ridiculous,” Rivero said. Megan’s Law…

Read More

WA: Washington State Officials Propose Toolkit to Help People With Mental Health, Addiction Issues Find Housing

[chronline.com – 4/29/21] Almost 10 years ago, state researchers conducted a study looking at how many people in Washington state became homeless after leaving inpatient treatment for a mental health issue or substance use disorder. The results were shocking. Nearly half the people discharged from a drug or alcohol treatment facility in 2010 were homeless or didn’t have stable housing within a year. For the people discharged from state psychiatric hospitals, it was 30%. In the midst of an ever-growing homelessness crisis a decade later, there’s little to suggest that…

Read More

CA: East County is ‘dumping grounds’ for sexually violent predators, official says

[fox5sandiego.com – 4/28/21] SAN DIEGO – The fight to keep violent sexual predators out of a home on Mt. Helix intensified Wednesday as Supervisor Joel Anderson joined the effort in asking for change. “Sadly, East County has become the dumping grounds for all our sexually violent predators,” Anderson said, claiming roughly 67% of the overall predators have been placed there. “I will not allow my neighbors to be tortured by these violent criminals who are being rewarded for their disgusting behavior,” said Sarah Thompson, a woman who lives in the…

Read More

WI: Would-be resident sues Hartland, calls ban on more sex offenders unconstitutional

[jsonline.com – 4/21/21] Karsten _____, 34, has been living with his parents in Nashotah, but he would like to move out to his own place in Hartland to be closer to his job but not too far from family. Hartland’s police chief has warned Karsten _____ he’s not welcome, citing the village’s moratorium on any more sex offenders living there. In a federal lawsuit, Karsten _____ contends that the village’s 2018 ordinance, applied retroactively, amounts to an illegal ex post facto law, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The “designated…

Read More

NY: Motel’s Lawsuit Says Small Town’s Effort to Kick Out Sex Offenders Is Unconstitutional

[lawandcrime.com – 4/21/21] A small city in Upstate New York is being sued by the owners of a local motel who say they should be allowed to offer their services to people formerly convicted of sex-related offenses. Shree Granesh LLC, the owner of an EconoLodge on Main Street, filed a lawsuit against the Town of New Paltz over a recent ordinance which aims to limit (and ultimately reduce) the number of registered sex offenders who can reside at a certain commercial address. In fact, it might be a bit more…

Read More

CA: El Cajon neighbors outraged over placement of 10 registered sex offenders together in one house

[cbs8.com – 4/15/21] Neighbors in El Cajon are livid, after learning that ten registered sex offenders are now living together in one house in their kid-friendly community. Calling it “a living nightmare,” these parents say they are now fearful for their children’s safety, and are demanding answers from the state. According to California’s Megan’s Law website, the crimes these registered sex offenders living here are convicted of range from sodomy with a minor under age 18, to lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14. Dozens of El Cajon…

Read More

NE: Auburn limits where sex offenders can reside, clarifies street parking laws

[newschannelnebraska.com – 4/12/21] AUBURN – The Auburn City Council adopted several resolutions at Monday’s meeting including an addition to the city code limiting where sex offenders and can live and clarifying where visitors can park. City Attorney Angelo Ligouri said the city council intended to pass a sex offender ordinance in 2006, when the state established a sex offender registry. The city recently realized the ordinance had not been passed. Read the full article  

Read More

Action Alert for CA: Support for the release of Mr. Badger to San Diego County by April 9

San Diego County residents are fighting the supervised release of Douglas Badger, a 78-year-old registrant designated as a sexually violent predator, to a community in that county.  A judge previously granted Mr. Badger’s release from Coalinga State Hospital provided that he is able to find housing. “ACSOL requests that members of the registrant community state their support for the release of Mr. Badger to San Diego County,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “The deadline for doing so is April 9.” San Diego County will conduct a public meeting on…

Read More

MN: Apple Valley settles lawsuit over sex offender residency

[hometownsource.com – 4/1/21] The city of Apple Valley has agreed to settle a class action federal lawsuit filed in 2020 that challenges the constitutionality of a 2017 city ordinance that limits where some sex offenders can live in the community. The Apple Valley City Council, without discussion, approved a settlement agreement as part of the consent agenda during its March 25 meeting. According to the agreement, one payment of $70,000 will be made to “resolve all claims for damages, fees and costs.” Of that total, two plaintiffs will reach receive…

Read More

CA: Sexually Violent Predator Must Move Out Of Napa, Court Rules

[patch.com – 3/30/21] NAPA COUNTY, CA — As a result of a hearing Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, a convicted sexually violent predator living in Napa County must be transferred to San Francisco County, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced in a news release. Charles Leroy _____, 76, was released in September 2020 to live at 4018 E. 3rd Ave. in Napa County, where for six months he lived in close proximity to two schools and within a one-mile radius of 62 children, the Napa County District Attorney’s…

Read More

IL: Illinois House bill would change sex offender residence requirements

[wandtv.com – 3/18/21] SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – A bill moving through the Illinois House of Representatives would change how close a registered sex offender could live to a school, playground, or childcare facility. HB3913 would amend the Unified Code of Correction and allow a registered sex offender to reside within 250 feet of any the restricted facilities. State law currently requires they live 500 feet. The bill sponsored by Rep. Camille Lilly and Rep. Kelly Cassidy would also remove a weekly requirement that a registered sex offender must register their address…

Read More

TX: Proposed Kyle sex offender law has supporters and opponents

[communityimpact.com – 3/15/21] Kyle City Council will consider passing a new ordinance which would restrict where some individuals on the Texas sex offender registry can reside, regardless of whether or not the offender is on probation or parole. The ordinance, brought to council by Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett, specifically targets offenders convicted of crimes involving minors. Of the city’s 67 residents on the registry, nine were convicted of minor-related crimes. Kyle does not have the most sex offenders in the region—New Braunfels has 106—but its ratio to normal residents…

Read More