[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 MoreTag: Residency Restrictions (SORR)
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 MoreNE: 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 MoreAction 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 MoreMN: 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 MoreCA: 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 MoreIL: 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 MoreTX: 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 MoreAction Alert: Oppose Florida Senate Bill 932 Time-Share Block
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 3/15/21] [Note from ACSOL: the bill applies only to registrants in Florida, however, sometimes legislators are swayed by input from those in other states] Florida Action Committee website article: Florida Senate Bill 932 is on the Agenda to go before the Criminal Justice Committee tomorrow 03/16/21 at 12:30 pm. SB 932 prohibits a court from granting time-sharing with a minor child to a parent registered as a sexual offender or sexual predator. It literally says timesharing MAY NOT be given to a registrant parent unless a judge makes…
Read MoreNE: School placed in “lock out” during sex offender investigation
[nebraska.tv – 3/10/21] GENOA, Neb. — Twin River Public Schools was briefly placed in “lock out” Tuesday while the Nance County Sheriff’s Office measured the distance between the residence of a recently-registered sex offender and the school. In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said 27-year-old George ____ registered at the Nebraska State Patrol office in Norfolk and listed a Genoa address. NSP explained to ____ that he could not live within 500 feet of a school or childcare facility per Nebraska statute. Read the full article
Read MoreIL: Apartment building where sex offenders have stayed should be shut down, Englewood residents say
[chicago.suntimes.com – 3/8/21] Englewood residents protested outside an apartment building Monday that they said had become a frequent home to paroled sex offenders. The latest to move-in is Cayce ____, convicted in the 1997 sexual assault and murder of 20-month-old Quortney Kley. ____moved to the 6600 block of South Perry Avenue last week from Crystal Lake after residents in that McHenry County city petitioned for his removal. ____ is on mandatory supervised release — got out of prison in February after serving 24 years of a 48-year sentence, according to…
Read MoreNC: New NC bill would push sex offenders further away from school grounds
[myfox8.com – 2/10/21 – NC residents write and call!] CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – Right now, in some North Carolina counties, sex offenders can live right beyond 1,000 of the front door of a school due to the way current laws are written. Now, one lawmaker is pushing to make sure they’re further away from those properties. In some areas, sex offenders could theoretically live right up to the school’s fencing if the yard is big enough, but if Senate Bill 52 passes, sex offenders won’t be able to…
Read MoreWest Covina Repeals Residency Restrictions
[ACSOL] The City of West Covina, located in Los Angeles County, has repealed its residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living within most of the city. The repeal took place on February 2 during a regularly scheduled meeting of the West Covina City Council. “We commend the City of West Covina for repealing its residency restrictions,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Registrants and their families can now lawfully reside anywhere in that city.” The city’s repeal followed the filing of a lawsuit in March 2020 in Los Angeles Superior…
Read MoreNY: An influx of Sex Offenders in New Paltz Causes Town to Tighten Reigns
[newpaltz.edu – 12/10/20] Following the influx of multiple sex offenders to a motel in New Paltz, the Town of New Paltz passed a law that would limit the number of sex offenders allowed to live in one building. Seven registered sex offenders moved into the Econo Lodge Motel in New Paltz between Oct. 10 and Nov. 2. Following the publication of an article notifying students of this, one more level three sex offender moved into the motel on Nov. 12, increasing the count to eight registered sex offenders: seven level…
Read MoreWI: Sex offenders can seek exemptions from rural residency restrictions
[kenoshanews.com – 11/30/20] Despite a series of residency exemption requests by sex offenders over the last several years, rural town and village officials believe they have ordinances in place to both protect the public and provide areas for offenders to live. Towns and villages west of I-94 in Kenosha County amended their ordinances after rules in Pleasant Prairie were deemed by a court to be too restrictive. They create “safety zones” around areas where children congregate, such as parks, schools, and churches. “We feel that our in place Register Sex…
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 MoreNY: Appeals Court hearing oral arguments online Oct 13 on continued detention of former sex offenders after release
[nycourts.gov] These appeals were filed by level three sex offenders to challenge their indefinite detention in prison or prison-based residential treatment facilities (RTFs) after their prison terms expired or they were granted parole. All three offenders were subject to post-release supervision (PRS) and were held past their release dates by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) when they were unable to find housing that complied with the Sexual Assault Reform Act (SARA), which bars certain sex offenders from residing within 1,000 feet of any school grounds (Executive Law…
Read MoreFL: Reentry Task Forces Recommends a Stop to Residency Restrictions for Sex Offenders
[from the last page] We affirm the findings of the OPPAGA that “many studies have established that sex offenders who maintain stable employment, housing and family relationships have significantly lower recidivism rates” as well as the numerous studies which conclude that SORRs undermine successful reentry of returning citizens, while doing nothing to promote public safety. For that reason, we make the following recommendations: 1) Legislation should be enacted that would pre-empt the patchwork of county and city SORR ordinances in favor of the State’s SORR Statute (F.S. §775.215). 2) Counties…
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