Josh Gravens is trying to figure out how he’s going to tell his five children that he might be going to prison for a very long time. Gravens, 28, is a one-time convicted juvenile sex offender facing a possible 25 years to life sentence for a felony related to a crime he committed in his childhood, and for which he has been to prison already. The current charge is not a repeat sex offence; he just failed to correctly update his personal information with his local police department in Texas.…
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TX: Lawsuit targets Krum city law
The city of Krum was presented with a lawsuit Friday morning that alleges its sex offender residency restrictions are unconstitutional. Attorney Richard Gladden is representing 22-year-old Denton resident ____ ____ in the lawsuit. Gladden said ____ was convicted last year of sexual assault of a child in Tarrant County. Gladden said ____ grew up in Krum, but because of the city’s Sex Offender Registry Restriction Ordinance, he was ordered to leave his parents’ house in November. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Stranded triplets’ dad arrested on sex offender violation
HOUSTON — The father of month-old premature triplets who were staying in a hotel with his wife and toddler daughter with no money to get home was arrested Tuesday at a Houston motel for a sex offender violation. ___ ___ was arrested following his appearance in a KHOU-TV report about the family’s financial troubles. Full Article
Read MoreTX: State program out of space to hold sex offenders
AUSTIN – Six repeat sex offenders that Texas has deemed among its most dangerous are due to be freed from prison in the next month, and a state program designed to keep them off the streets is full The problem promises to get worse: More than three dozen violent offenders are slated for release in coming months, and four halfway houses where more than 100 are confined have served notice they want them out by the end of August, officials confirmed Thursday. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Re-commitment of sex offenders in Texas is unfair
Sex offenders, especially child predators, are some of the most reviled people on Earth. And because of the nature of their crimes, the public generally wants them put away for a long, long time. The question is: What’s long enough? Full article
Read MoreTX: For $1.4 million, Dallas sex offender registration doesn’t buy much
If the goal is more stigma and shame, the operation succeeds spectacularly. For starters, the entrance is hidden around back of Dallas police headquarters, behind a rusting door, next to a small sign: “Sex Offender Registration Entrance Only.” Inside, the atmosphere only gets worse. The dreary waiting room is almost always filled to capacity with people sitting glumly, waiting for hours to meet the strict reporting requirements of being a registered sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreTX: 89-Year-Old Grandmother Required To Post Sex Offender Sign
ALVARADO (CBSDFW.COM) – Police in Alvarado aren’t bending the rules for 89-year-old ____ ____, whose son is a registered sex offender. “I haven’t hurt anybody. I haven’t violated or done anything to anyone,” said ____. Her home is her son’s official residence, thus ____ must post a “sex offender warning” sign on her lawn this Halloween. And it doesn’t matter, that she’s home alone. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Mom Upset Sex Offender Allowed Near Kids in Pee Wee Football League
SHEPHERD, TX (KTRK) — A San Jacinto County mother says she couldn’t believe it when she saw a man she considered an assistant coach on her five-year-old son’s pee-wee football team listed online as a sex offender. “I was shocked. I was very upset, very angry. There’s really not a word for it,” she says. “My son’s five years old, this man’s out here on the field with my son, and for no one to notify me of it before I sign my son up or before they sign the…
Read MoreTX: Deputy seeks sex offender dick pics
A Sheriff’s deputy in Wise County has been arrested in a bizarre incident. Sgt. Chad Hightower told sex offenders the state now required him to photograph them nude. He even told one fellow he must achieve an erection for the photo shoot, which took place in the police impound yard. Unreal. Full Article Also see Officer arrested for photos of sex offender
Read MoreTX: Sounding Off – East Dallas readers weigh in on boundaries for sex offenders
The Dallas City Council has expressed interest in prohibiting sex offenders from living near schools, parks and other kid-friendly areas. The idea, which is being pushed by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and is backed by the Dallas Police Department, would create a buffer zone, though specifics have not been determined. There are more than 3,300 registered sex offenders living in Dallas. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Research won’t support Dallas proposal that amounts to housing ban for sex offenders
In saner times, what Josh Gravens did would be called “playing doctor” or “adolescent curiosity.” General embarrassment and a stern talking-to would have followed. And that would have been the end of it. But in this age of hysteria, the childhood misdeed will never end for Josh. And now the city of Dallas considers making it worse by declaring a great majority of the city off limits for him to live. By extension, that would mean his wife and five children, too. Full Opinion Piece From the same author: Kids are…
Read MoreTX: From convicted sex offender to millionaire, man gets new life
Dallas (CNN) — ____ ____ has has been spending most of his time these days living in a tiny room in a no-frills northeast Dallas nursing home. Until recently, he had a roommate who slept in a bed 2 feet away, and staff brought him three square meals a day. Only a few hours passed each day in which he didn’t think about his burden of four decades: being a convicted sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Rise in Sex Offenders in the Basin, Officials Explain Their Tactics
MIDLAND/ODESSA – A rise in sex offenders in the Basin, all because of the boom. But where are these criminals more likely to prey?The mall, playgrounds and parks are where many families and children come out to enjoy the summertime. Coincidentally, that’s where sex offenders tend to enjoy themselves as well. Because of the rise in sex offenders in the Basin, NewsWest 9 set out to investigate their criminal tactics and what children can do to protect themselves. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Lewisville Loses Appeal on Sex Offender Ordinance
In a ruling released Tuesday, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a district court ruling from last year that had dismissed a lawsuit against the City of Lewisville over the constitutionality of a city ordinance restricting where registered sex offenders can live. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Duty to Register – The Requirements and Limitations of a Sex Offender
Every year, some 360 individuals in Tom Green County are required to report to local offices and fill out forms listing their addresses, places of employment and vehicles. Some are required to submit DNA samples and contact information for their nearest relatives. Others complete the process every 30 or 90 days. Three hundred thirty-two of them live in five San Angelo zip codes, ranging from 76901-76905. They’re registered sex offenders, and the majority will remain so for the rest of their lives.Full Article
Read MoreTX: Rise in Overturned Sexual Abuse Convictions from DNA Testing
Being accused of a crime you haven’t committed can be devastating. Unfortunately, several wrongly convicted individuals are just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after years behind bars. Falsified claims are a serious threat and this issue is quickly becoming recognized by mainstream media. In particular, false allegations involving child sexual abuse or child abuse can wreak havoc to family relations and cause lingering stress. Recently thousands of untested DNA rape and sexual abuse kits were sent to a third party crime lab for testing after…
Read MoreTX: Under trafficking law, sex with minor can mean life in prison
____ ____ was a 43-year-old prison guard who met a young girl online and had a sexual relationship with the 14-year-old for about a year. A few years ago, such a crime would’ve put him behind bars for two to 20 years for sexual assault of a child. But a Hays County jury this week gave ____, now 45, life in prison without the possibility of parole, under a relatively new trafficking law targeting people who transport young victims for sexual purposes. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Anson landlord willing to fight city for sex offender tenant
The city of Anson is stirring over a controversy dealing with a landlord and his tenant who is a registered sex offender. On Saturday, the landlord said he was surprised when he got a citation stating that his tenant broke city law by living within 1,000 feet of a local middle school. Full Article
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