Source: newschannel5.com 11/16/23 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Local constitutional rights attorney Kyle Mothershead joins Levi Ismail on OpenLine to advocate for people who struggle with still being registered as a sex offender – even years after conviction. Watch the video
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TN: A registrant who is HIV positive is considered a sexually violent predator
Source: filtermag.org 11/2/23 In the mid-’90s at Washington State Penitentiary, a corrections officer (CO) and I had been yelling at each other for a while until eventually he ordered me back to my cell. When he called me back out to go see the sergeant, the CO in the security booth at the end of the hall buzzed open the electronic sliding door, then shut it in my face each time I tried to go through. After the third time, I turned to the glass he was sitting behind and…
Read MoreTN: Tennessee’s legal struggles with its sex offender registry could cost taxpayer
Source: tennessean.com 10/29/23 NOTE: since we posted this article the website blocked it with pay-only access Dozens of people have scored legal wins against Tennessee’s sex offender registry law since federal judges ruled it violates constitutional protections against retroactive punishment. The situation could cost Tennessee taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney fees. Judges have repeatedly ruled against the law, and a recent development has made it so those with convictions from more than 20 years ago can be removed in a matter of weeks if they can…
Read MoreTN: Prosecutors said she was a victim. She still had to register as a sex offender in Tennessee
Source: tennessean.com 10/29/23 NOTE: since we posted this article the website blocked it with pay-only access As things stand, she’ll be considered a violent sexual offender the rest of her life. She’s had to say this hundreds of times, and she knows how people tend to react. But she hopes you’ll give her a chance to explain this time. A newspaper headline about the circumstances that led to her arrest, guilty plea and eventual placement on Tennessee’s sex offender registry described her as a “sex slave.” Court documents show…
Read MoreTN: Registry to life sentence: TN courts remove dozens from sex offender registry after legal challenges
Source: newschannel5.com 8/9/23 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It’s costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars as more people file lawsuits claiming they shouldn’t be restricted by a registry that didn’t exist when they were convicted. Dozens of people have since been removed from the registry as a result, with dozens more potentially on the way. Thomas spent more than 20 years on Tennessee’s Sex Offender Registry but now considers himself a free man. His case is still being appealed, so we’ve agreed to stick with first names for his protection.…
Read MoreTN: Man sentenced to life for sex crimes against child
Source: wate.com 5/15/23 A Tennessee man who is a registered sex offender will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was found guilty of having sex with a minor and taking her across the country. Watch the video
Read MoreTN: Tennessee disapproves of ALI Model Penal Code for Sexual Assault and Related Offenses
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Read MoreTN: Multi-day sex offender compliance operation completed in Carroll Co.
Source: wbbjtv.com 2/23/23 HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — Multiple law enforcement agencies joined this week to conduct a sex offender compliance operation in Carroll County. Dubbed Operation Walter Browning, the two-day saturation was conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the operation involved compliance checks for 47 registered sex offenders throughout Carroll County. The TBI says authorities made contact with 39 of those individuals, and all but one were found to be in complia Read the full article
Read MoreTN: Chattanooga, Hamilton County money not housing sex offenders from Budgetel
Source: timesfreepress.com 12/22/22 No registered sex offenders displaced from the Budgetel Inn last month are being housed with city or county money, officials said after Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp sent an email this week objecting to “free hotel rooms for child molesters.” Wamp identified four registered sex offenders who had been living at the East Ridge motel before she sought and received a court order for its closure as a public nuisance, and a fifth was later identified by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. Since the sudden shutdown,…
Read MoreTN: From registry to life sentence: Has Tennessee’s sex offender registry gone too far?
Source: newschannel5.com 8/15/22 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Attorneys have called for a change to the Tennessee sex offender registry they said created an unconstitutional punishment as legislators added more restrictions each year. Thomas has lived in Nashville almost all his life, but he’s rarely seen beyond work and the occasional grocery store run. Those trips are usually done within 15 minutes of the store closing. Thomas seems to think it’s safer that way, so for that reason, NewsChannel 5 Investigates will stick with first names. It’s life as he’s known…
Read MoreTN: Tennessee nurses push for new law to add protection from sex offenders
Source: wkrn.com 8/4/22 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nurses in Nashville are hoping to put a new bill on the books that would add another layer of protection against registered sex offenders. “We face anything from any gross sexual comments, people have been threatened, and unfortunately, they have been trapped in a room where the patient has been a wall between the door and the nurse themselves, so it’s scary,” said nurse Ciearria. She asked News 2, not to reveal where she works but says sexual harassment has become a constant.…
Read MoreTN: Former Rutherford County Sheriff’s colonel charged with sex offender registry violation
Source: dnj.com 7/22/22 A former Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department colonel has been charged with a felony for sexual offender registration form violation. Edward “Eddie” T. ___, 63, of Murfreesboro, was taken into custody Thursday by Murfreesboro Police Department officers and U.S. Marshals. Eddie, who was fired from RCSO in 2005, was booked into the Rutherford County Detention Center Thursday and released on a $5,000 bond. Read the full article
Read MoreTN: Asset forfeiture laws expanded for sexual assault and kidnapping
Source: wkrn.com 7/5/22 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new state law has expanded criminal asset forfeiture for 12 statutes, mostly surrounding rape and kidnapping. It’s one of the first laws of its kind in the United States. The new law means criminals who violate those laws could lose their homes, cars, weapons, and any property involved in the commission of the crime. State Representative Brandon Ogles of Williamson County sponsored the bill (HB 2271) and explained that if someone kidnaps a person in their car, police can seize the vehicle.…
Read MoreTN: To end retroactive punishment, a judge has ordered the removal of eight men from the sex offender registry
Source: washingtonnewsday.com 12/4/21 To end retroactive punishment, a judge has ordered the removal of eight men from the sex offender registry. To stop their retroactive sanctions, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger ordered the removal of eight individuals from the sex offender list. In her order on Friday, Trauger said, “Tennessee officials continue to defy the Constitution’s guarantees.” “The same analysis applies… to Tennessee’s own, very comparable scheme and practices, according to federal district courts in this state. Officials in Tennessee have continued to apply the state’s long-held-to-be-illegal policy on others…
Read MoreTN: Tennessee sex offender registry gets online ‘overhaul’ of data, resources
Source: wjhl.com 10/27/21 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The overhauled online registry of sex offenders in the state launched this week and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it gives the public valuable resources related to personal and digital safety. The new sex offender registry shares personal information; not only for where they live but also where they work. Near the top of the new registry site features wanted sex offenders in the state who are in violation of the state’s sex offender registry laws. Site users can also view map…
Read MoreTN: Here’s how to keep your kids safe on Halloween
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Source: fox13memphis.com 10/18/21 The Tennessee Department of Corrections is working to keep kids safe from predators on Halloween. TDOC launched ‘Operation Blackout’ earlier this month, an annual statewide operation to ensure sex offenders are complying with the conditions of their supervision, including special condition related to the Halloween holiday, according to a release from TDOC. All registered sex offenders must follow a specific set of rules: no Halloween decorations, no attending Halloween/fall events, no giving out Halloween candy, and porch lights must be turned off on Halloween night. According to…
Read MoreTN: Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, and TBI team up for Operation Rock & Roll targeting people listed on registry
[localmemphis.com – 5/24/21] MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. is pleased to announce the May 21 conclusion of an immensely successful operation with the United States Marshals Service and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which focused on a two-week Sex Offense Registry compliance and fugitive warrant operation named, “OPERATION ROCK & ROLL”. “The Marshals Service was proud to partner with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and TBI on this sex offense registry compliance and fugitive operation,” said U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller. “Safe communities are a priority for the Marshals,…
Read MoreTN: Ruling could signal future change to Tennessee’s sex offender registry
[newschannel5.com – 4/7/21] NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Could hundreds of sex offenders be removed from the state’s sex offender registry? That’s the worry from some victim advocates following a federal court decision this week affecting two convicted sex offenders in Tennessee. The lawsuit was filed by two anonymous convicted sex offenders, John Doe #1, and John Doe #2, who said Tennessee’s sex offender registry act should not apply to them. That law, passed in 2004, required the two to register as sex offenders and obey distance requirements when finding a…
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