Criminal Law
Sex Offender Issues, News, Recidivism and Studies 
Sex offenses, sex offender issues in prison, jail, civil commitment and the community including residency laws. Adam Walsh Act, recidivism, dangerousness, tiers, community issues, harassment, vigilantism, sex offender therapy issues.
Post Frequency: 5/day Last Entry: November 21, 2009 at 05:47:00 Recent Entries: 1594
By "eAdvocate"
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Tracking sex offenders with GPS units
Posted on November 21, 2009In order for this GPS program to work, in a non discriminatory manner, police would have to apply the GPS unit ONLY for the hours that the homeless person sleeps. Remember, anyone with an address IS NOT tracked outside of the hours they sleep. So police will have to go to where the HOMELESS person is registered -TWICE DAILY- to apply the unit, then come back when the person gets up (he will need a charged cell phone to call police to come remove the unit when he gets up) to remove the unit...
Ventura County man arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit on him
Posted on November 21, 200911-21-2009 California:A 39-year-old Thousand Oaks man has been arrested for reportedly paying teens to spit in his face, slap him and yell profanities at him, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff?s Department said today.Charles Hersel, who was arrested on child annoyance charges and released on his own recognizance, reportedly sought out young male Westlake High School students on the MySpace social networking website, said Capt...
Senator: USPS to resume North Pole Santa letters
Posted on November 21, 200911-21-2009 National:ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) ? North Pole elves have good reason to celebrate again, thanks to a decision by the U.S. Postal Service to resume a Santa Claus letter program that?s thrilled children from around the world for decades.?It?s great!? Gabby Gaborik, chief elf among several dozen volunteers, said of the agency?s Friday announcement that it?s reversing a recent decision to drop a program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole...
Sex abuser loses house; proceeds go to restitution
Posted on November 20, 200911-20-2009 Vermont:A Rutland man convicted of multiple counts of producing child pornography lost his freedom, his savings and his home on Wednesday.Allan E. Patrick, 58, was sentenced to more than 12 years in jail and agreed to forfeit his Royce Street home and his retirement account to pay $142,500 to five victims...
Test Drive an iPhone App about Sex Offenders
Posted on November 20, 2009Folks may remember my review of these programs which covers exactly WHERE, HOW and WHEN they get the information! 11-20-2009 Colorado:COLORADO SPRINGS - Another proof-positive to make sure you don?t believe everything you read on the internet or on your phone...
Loophole in PA's Megan's Law
Posted on November 20, 20098-20-2009 Pennsylvania:Some sex offenders ?will fall through the cracks and escape Megan?s Law? unless Pennsylvania lawmakers re-write the statute to include homeless transients, Pennsylvania?s Superior Court says.Pennsylvania requires a Megan?s Law offender _ those who have been convicted of a wide range of sexual crimes ? to register his ?residence? with the local police...
Heaven and Hell in Cameron County Jail
Posted on November 20, 200911-20-2009 Texas:When a chaplain spoke up about inmates' treatment, she was locked out.Gail Hanson?s soft, musical voice served her well for eight years as a volunteer chaplain at the Cameron County Jail in Brownsville. But as she witnessed and heard about the mistreatment of the mostly young and impoverished women she counseled?from unhealthy food to freezing-cold cells to lengthy detentions without convictions?Hanson?s voice grew louder...
Law change finds Stuarts Draft sex offender in hot water
Posted on November 20, 2009Notice how someone convicted of a lower offense is MADE a violent sex offender by a CHANGE in law applied retroactively. That change resulted in a criminal charge for an innocent act that, he could not have been charged with before the change in law...
Three people beat Birmingham sex offender to death, jury told
Posted on November 20, 200911-20-2009 United Kingdom:TWO men and a woman beat a Birmingham man to death after he was recognized as a sex offender, a court was told.Victim Dennis Golding, aged 49, was targeted because someone at the Birmingham hostel where he was living had seen him on a sex offenders? wing in prison, it heard...
Cuyahoga deputies short-handed as they check on sex offenders
Posted on November 20, 200911-20-2009 Ohio:CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County has the most sex offenders in Ohio, but only two full-time deputies regularly check on the 1,416 people considered the worst offenders.Other large Ohio counties have fewer offenders than Cuyahoga's 3,300 but use more deputies to perform the state-mandated address verifications for Tier III offenders such as rapists...
DSP worker charged with covering for sex offender
Posted on November 20, 200911-20-2009 Delaware:A civilian employee of the State Police is accused of intentionally entering false information into a database about a sex offender during the registration process. Police say Finisha Mills was living with Michael Tilghman at the Persimmon Tree Apartments in Dover, and from July 27th to November 5th, Mills registered Tilghman, a Tier 3, or high-risk offender, as homeless...
Investigators: Inmate Kills Another Inmate
Posted on November 20, 200911-20-2009 Colorado:A prisoner (Sex Offender) was murdered by another prisoner, that's according to investigators. It happened Thursday night at the Territorial Prison in Canon City.A prisoner was murdered by another prisoner according to investigators...
Child sex offender works as state case worker until reporter's investigation
Posted on November 19, 200911-19-2009 Missouri:A state investigation leads to the firing of a sex offender working for the State of Missouri in Joplin.KOAM and FOX 14 are not releasing the man's identity, but according to court documents the man was convicted of sexual misconduct with a girl who was 16 years old at the time of the incident, which was in 2006...
Detectives Follow-up on 4,200 Somer Thompson Leads
Posted on November 19, 200911-19-2009 Florida:ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- Investigators have received 4,200 leads in the Somer Thompson case and are working to follow up on all workable tips.Detectives said they are waiting on lab results, hoping that some of the evidence will lead in the right direction...
Threats against parole agent in Jaycee Dugard case prompt move
Posted on November 19, 200911-19-2009 California:ANTIOCH ? The parole agent who supervised kidnapping and rape suspect Phillip Garrido has been moved to a different location because of threats against him and his family, the state corrections department said today.California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Spokesman Gordon Hinkle said the agent and his family were moved shortly after Jaycee Dugard was discovered and Garrido and his wife, Nancy, were arrested Aug...
Sex Offenders In Homeless Shelter? It's A Scare Tactic
Posted on November 19, 200911-19-2009 Massachusetts:Anybody want to own the hair-on-fire statistic that 50 percent of the homeless men who will use the no-freeze emergency shelter proposed for downtown Hartford are sex offenders?Anyone?I tried to track down who floated that idea...
Salem shelter would support banning sex offenders
Posted on November 19, 200911-19-2009 Massachusetts:SALEM ? The head of the Salem Mission said he supports a proposal to ban the most dangerous sex offenders from homeless shelters.However, Mark Cote, executive director of the Salem Mission, said he has reservations about the measure and believes the state has a responsibility to provide services and housing to offenders...
Police Search for Pedophile Letter-Writer Targeting Young Girls
Posted on November 19, 200911-19-2009 National:Authorities are searching for a letter writer who has targeted more than 40 girls in the Phoenix metropolitan area in the past decade by sending sexually explicit letters to their homes.Authorities say there are 80 such cases around the county with 41 reported in Arizona, including 29 in Phoenix and Scottsdale...
No trick or treat for you: Halloween canceled for sex offenders in Allen Park
Posted on November 19, 200911-19-2009 Michigan:Halloween will no longer be a treat for the 24 registered sex offenders in Allen Park: City Council this week unanimously approved an ordinance barring them from participating in activities traditionally associated with the holiday...
N.J. Town Tries To Drop Sex Offender Restrictions
Posted on November 18, 200911-18-2009 New Jersey:West Milford Township Council Repeals Ordinance Preventing Offenders From Living Near Schools, PlaygroundsIt's a controversial debate in New Jersey. Some local governments are now dropping restrictions on convicted sex offenders...
Sex offender's home destroyed
Posted on November 18, 200911-18-2009 Florida:A registered sex offender lost his mobile home in a fire police called suspicious, although they didn't think he was targeted. A suspicious fire burned down the mobile home of a registered sex offender, but Davie police say they don't think the man was targeted...
UPDATE: On 50% of sex offenders re-offend, a claim made by Watch Systems
Posted on November 18, 200911-18-2009 National:Yesterday I posted a commentary about a hot Internet topic: ?50% of sex offenders re-offend.? SexOffenderIssues found many law enforcement agencies making this claim across the nation. These same agencies are using Watch Systems?s software called ?Offender Watch,? and through that product those agencies are spreading the ?50% of sex offenders re-offend? message...
N.J. parole board says polygraph tests effective in detecting, preventing violations by sex offenders
Posted on November 18, 200911-18-2009 New Jersey:The 39-year-old convicted sex offender had been working at a Burger King restaurant for five months when a parole officer sat him down for a polygraph test.Caught lying about his unsupervised contact with minors, he admitted being attracted to a 16-year-old co-worker...
Prostitution sting nabs 13-year-old Alabama boy
Posted on November 18, 200911-18-2009 Alabama:BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ? An undercover officer posing as a prostitute in Alabama tried more than once to run off a 13-year-old boy who asked her for sex, but police say the teen insisted and had to be arrested.Authorities in Mobile said today the teenager has been charged with a misdemeanor count of loitering while looking for a prostitute...
Watch Systems, LLC claims "50% of Sex offenders re-offend," Obviously that is correct, right?
Posted on November 17, 200911-16-2009 National:Watch Systems, LLC, markets a program (Offender Watch)which tracks registered offenders. In their marketing of that program, and on client websites, their video claims "50% of sex offenders re-offend." Can that be correct? (see End Note 'How to view video')I wonder, for the past few years National Center for Missing Children and Parents for Megan's Laws have claimed there are about 600,000 registered sex offenders in the nation...
SMART Office Case Update 11-16-09
Posted on November 17, 200911-17-2009 National:The SMART Office has posted more case law:Case Law Summary, January 2008 - July 2009 Archived Case Law Updates #1 - 27 (February 7, 2008 - July 7, 2009)Sex Offender Registration Law Update#30 (November 16, 2009)Sex Offender Registration Law Update#29 (October 8, 2009)Sex Offender Registration Law Update#28 (September 8, 2009)eAdvocate
Sex Offenders Often Cluster In Urban Buildings
Posted on November 17, 200911-17-2009 New Hampshire:Neighborhood Pressure, Expense Sometimes Push Offenders TogetherMANCHESTER, N.H. -- There are about 2,400 registered sex offenders living in New Hampshire, and often, they end up living in the same building in the state's largest cities...
Indiana Supreme court weighs use of tests in sentencing
Posted on November 17, 200911-17-2009 Indiana:INDIANAPOLIS - A felon's friends and hobbies could influence how much time he spends behind bars if the Indiana Supreme Court upholds a lower-court ruling.At issue is a type of psychological test commonly used by probation officers to assess whether an offender is likely to commit more crimes and determine the level of supervision and type of treatment needed...
Child porn traffickers being caught in their own world: computers
Posted on November 16, 200911-16-2009 Louisiana:The computer screen in the State Police control room in Alexandria shows a map of Louisiana covered with hundreds of red dots. Each dot represents a town or community where child pornography traders are at work.A mouse click on a dot pops open a matrix of more dots, each one representing an individual computer address involved in possible criminal activity...
OUR VIEW | Sex Offenders in the Neighborhood? Let Reason and Awareness Triumph Over Fear
Posted on November 16, 200911-16-2009 Washington:It?s hard to feel pity or compassion for sex offenders. Their crimes harm society in a way burglary, property theft or even assault do not, because of the psychological damage done and the cycle of abuse that can begin when victims become perpetrators...
Editorial: Sex crimes laws need updating
Posted on November 16, 200911-16-2009 Florida:Our society needs a new approach to sex offender laws that will be effective, just and constitutional.Mind you, we have no sympathy for people who commit sex crimes, but there appears to be a one-size-fits-all approach as it relates to perpetrators...
Man shot, then killed by hit-run vehicle
Posted on November 16, 200911-16-2009 Illinois:Chicago police Sunday were continuing their search for the person who shot a convicted sex offender and struck him with a vehicle near a lounge in the city's Chatham neighborhood.An autopsy Sunday showed that the man -- identified as Howard Hodges, 34 -- died from injuries caused by the vehicle, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office...
Judge Refuses To Tag Convicted Man With Sex-Offender Label
Posted on November 16, 200911-16-2009 Connecticut:VERNON ? - That Jeffrey McEwen is a violent drunk who intended to murder two people the evening of June 2, 2008, at 17 Pillsbury Hill was not in dispute Friday at Superior Court in Rockville.The question was whether McEwen was a sexual predator deserving of being on the state sex offender registry...
Tracking Homeless Sex Offenders (With GPS)
Posted on November 15, 2009If registrants are homeless, is it likely they can pay for GPS? So, this expense would be totally borne by taxpayer money; not smart...11-15-2009 Ohio:DAYTON, Ohio ? A Dayton area lawmaker wants Tier 3 homeless sex offenders to be tracked using either a GPS unit or a microchip...
Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath talks about Anthony Sowell case
Posted on November 15, 200911-15-2009 Ohio:CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Questions have been raised across the community about what could have been done to prevent the horror found at Imperial Avenue, where police uncovered the bodies of 11 women from Anthony Sowell's home.Some lamented the breakdown of community, where neighbors did not notice something was amiss...
Experts: Sex offender laws flawed
Posted on November 15, 200911-15-2009 Kentucky:COVINGTON - The arrest of two sex offenders in Kenton County this year shows the complications of enforcing Kentucky's strict residence restrictions.A 43-year-old Michigan native was arrested for violating the terms of his bond for allegedly trying to pick up his prescription medication from an Erlanger house he was ordered to move from because it was within 1,000 feet of Railroad Park...
FL- Figures: Victim Often Knows Abuser
Posted on November 15, 200911-15-2009 Florida:by Shoshana WalterNever take candy from a stranger. Those are wise words for children.But professionals who work with child sex abuse victims say those concerns are overemphasized.Of the 129 child sexual abuse cases the Polk County Sheriff's Office investigated in 2007 and 2008, 94 percent of the abusers knew their victims...
When Does GPS Tracking Fail? (A Difference of opinions)
Posted on November 15, 200911-15-2009 California:California?s Inspector General just released a report rebuking his state?s parole agencies, specifically their management of the GPS tracking system designed to keep sex offenders in line. However, while some media outlets have claimed the GPS tracking itself is faulty, the report makes clear that the technology was simply misused, or rather, underused, by some law enforcement...
Child Abductions: the Hype vs. the Reality
Posted on November 15, 200911-15-2009 National:Are children more likely to be abducted today than they were in past generations?It's a question every parent contemplates, especially in the age of 24-hour news, when sensationalized reports of missing children -- such as 7-year-old Somer Thompson's abduction and slaying -- seem to be a permanent fixture on television and computer screens...
UK- Paedophile's Wife Praised For Trapping Him
Posted on November 14, 200911-14-2009 United Kingdom:by Jo Couzens, Sky News Online A woman who trapped her paedophile husband by posing as a teenage girl on the internet has been praised by a children's charity.David Anthony Roberts, 69, asked a girl he believed to be aged 14 to have sex with him, not realising he was having an online conversation with his wife Cheryl...
FL- Are more sex offenders in Florida because of our clothing?
Posted on November 14, 2009The claims become more absurd day by day! OR, some -politically eyed- Floridians are drinking swamp water.11-14-2009 Florida:by Nicole PapageorgeCOLLIER COUNTY - How many sex offenders live here in Florida? Why do they come here? One former sheriff says it could be because of our clothing, or lack thereof...
OK- Deputy receives cuts in Norman courtroom attack
Posted on November 14, 2009See followup story:11-14-2009 Oklahoma:by JANE GLENN CANNON and JAMES S. TYREENORMAN ? Cleveland County officials said a metal detector could have prevented a convicted sex offender from smuggling a knife into a courtroom Thursday.Troy Leal, 43, used an X-Acto knife to cut his throat and stab a deputy, courtroom witnesses and officials said...
WI- Inmate freed after serving 6 years for sex assault he didn't commit
Posted on November 14, 200911-14-2009 Wisconsin:by WKOWTV.comMADISON (WKOW) -- A ruling by a Dane County judge will free a man who served more than six years after being wrongly convicted on sexual assault charges.Judge Patrick Fiedler ordered 45-year-old Forest Shomberg of Middleton released from prison Friday...
Putting a Stop to Congressional Overreach
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 National:by Damon W. Root In early September, Fox News host Andrew Napolitano asked Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, precisely what part of the Constitution authorized Congress to enact health care legislation...
NE- Convicted Sex Offender Loses Appeal
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 Nebraska:by WOWT.comThe Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and sentence of a Lincoln man who challenged a law aimed at sexual predators who use the Internet to lure children.The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and sentence of a Lincoln man who challenged a law aimed at sexual predators who use the Internet to lure children...
OH- Neighbor: Sowell said, 'It's all going to come out' after bodies found
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 Ohio:by Susan Candiotti, CNNCleveland, Ohio (CNN) -- Upon hearing that police had found two bodies at his home, murder suspect Anthony Sowell said, "It's all going to come out now," according to a neighbor.Debbie Madison, 54, can see Sowell's house from her front porch...
FL- No decision yet on constitutionality of Lee County sex offender ordinance
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 Florida:by Rachel RevehlJudges in Lee County court today have not made their decision yet regarding the constitutionality of a county ordinance pertaining to restricted access of sex offenders.Arguments made today by Fort Myers attorneys defense Peter Aiken and John Charles Coleman, was that the ordinance is unconstitutional because it is too vague and overly broad...
FL- 360 sex offenders live within 1 mile of a St. Lucie public school
Posted on November 13, 2009See also: "174 sex offenders live within a mile of an Indian River public school" -and- "135 sex offenders live within a mile of a Martin County school." The real problem is, that, all the family friends and acquaintances of the children attending those schools, also live there, and since 97% of new sex crimes are by those folks, the RSOs are not the real problem...
NY- Judge Approves New Voice Technology to Monitor Sex Offenders
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 New York:by Sex offenders can be required to submit to a Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA) examination as part of their post-release supervision to determine if they are telling the truth, a federal court has ruled. Northern District of New York Chief Judge Norman A...
NC- Judge to decide legality of N.C. sex offender restrictions
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 North Carolina:by WRAL.comPittsboro, N.C. ? A Superior Court judge said Thursday that he needs some time to decide whether to strike down a portion of the state's sex offender laws.James Nichols, a registered sex offender, challenged the constitutionality of the laws following his March arrest at Moncure Baptist Church...
NY- I?m Innocent. Just Check My Status on Facebook.
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 New York:by DAMIANO BELTRAMIThe message on Rodney Bradford?s Facebook page, posted at 11:49 a.m. on Oct. 17, asked where his pancakes were. The words were typed from a computer in his father?s apartment in Harlem. At the time, the sentence, written in street slang, was just another navel-gazing, cryptic Facebook status update ? meaningless to anyone besides Mr...
Lithuanian killer of pedophiles flees country despite public support
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 Lithuania:Drasius Kedys, who killed a woman and a high profile judge in Lithuania because he thought they molested his four year old daughter, is believed to have fled the country, according to Regnum news agency.Lithuanian investigators say he obtained a Russian visa before the murders, and may be hiding in the neighboring country...
MN- Sex Offender Program costs $70 million a year but rehabilitates no one
Posted on November 13, 2009$70,000,000 is OK, but the cost of the TVs is too much? Someday I might understand the legislative mind; unfortunately that day has past. Sex offenders are, a political tool...11-13-2009 Minnesota:by Paul Demko Program budget has ballooned by 400 percent in six yearsBy any reasonable standard the Minnesota Sex Offender Program has been an unmitigated failure...
CO- Teen Decoy a 'Victim' in Sex Offender's Sentencing
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 Colorado:by Courthouse NewsA 14-year-old decoy from an Internet sting operation can be considered a "victim" in sentencing a sex offender as a sexually violent predator, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. Two undercover officers created a 14-year-old girl named "Kelly" to use in chat rooms while investigating Internet crimes against children...
IA- Sex Offender Registry redesigned
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 Iowa:by MARLEEN LINARES The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation?s recently redesigned Sex Offender Registry website is bringing more information to community members.The site now provides e-mail notifications when an offender moves into a neighborhood, additional information on registrants, including photos and conviction information, and advanced map functions...
TX- No liability for parole chief
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 Texas:by Mike WardJudge repeals jury fine but chides state parole board.An Austin federal judge has overturned personal damages of $21,250 that a jury had imposed on the chairwoman of the state parole board a month ago, but .the judge did not change the finding that officials violated a paroled convict's constitutional rights by denying him a required hearing for 576 days...
WI- Panel: Gableman ad spots misleading, but not illegal
Posted on November 13, 2009Hummm, does this really say "It is OK to use child molesters for POLITICAL GAIN?" I Never though it would come from mouths of judges, but now we have proof that such is condoned!11-13-2009 Wisconsin:by Alicia YagerPanel of judges says Wis. Supreme Court should drop charge A judicial conduct panel recommended Thursday the Wisconsin Supreme Court drop a complaint against one of its justices for
Carrie Prejean Sex Tape Stream: 1 Amazingly Controversial Sex Tape Stream for Free
Posted on November 13, 200911-13-2009 National:by Meg C.The Carrie Prejean sex tape stream is hot. The Carrie Prejean sex tape stream is free. Want to see a free Carrie Prejean sex tape stream? You're not alone. Ever since Wednesday, everyone and their brother (and sister) has been frantically searching for a free download of the Carrie Carrie Prejean Sex Tape Stream...
DE- Ruling limits sex offender registry
Posted on November 12, 200911-12-2009 Delaware:by SEAN O'SULLIVAN ? The News Journal Court says Minner pardon restored all of man's civil rightsFor the second time this year, the Delaware Supreme Court has found that a person legally can be removed from the state's sex offender registry -- implicitly finding that the registry is not a permanent life sentence without exception and that the registry statute does not
ND- Review of the Offender Registry System
Posted on November 12, 200911-12-2009 North Dakota:by Brandie Dixon, West Fargo Pioneer Recent events relating to child abduction have been headlining in the news and have brought attention to the Offender Registry System. The West Fargo Police Department thought a review of the system and how it works would be pertinent...
OH- Stench returns near Ohio house that held bodies; police take evidence from nearby home
Posted on November 12, 2009Just a passing thought, but for the public registry, would Sowell been employed and not have time to commit crimes? As long as sex offender laws, with all their restrictions on registrants lives, keep registrants idle I think we can expect to see a rise in collateral crimes of registrants...
FL- Priest beaten, not bowed
Posted on November 12, 200911-12-2009 Florida:by KEITH MORELLI and MARK DOUGLASTARPON SPRINGS - A visiting Greek Orthodox priest who was the victim of a tire iron attack in Tampa two days ago was back at work Wednesday, officiating over a funeral at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral...
FL- Attorney says Lee County sex offender law is unconstitutional
Posted on November 12, 2009If this lawyer thinks he is going to get a ordinance declared unconstitutional based on the grounds of "fairness" then these RSOs need another lawyer! How about trying OVERBROAD and as written I am quite sure no one can micro manage folks and their every move who are not under some form of supervision as this ordinance does...
NE- Council OKs Sex Offender Ordinance Change
Posted on November 12, 200911-12-2009 Nebraska:by Klark ByrdSIDNEY - The City of Sidney has an amended sex offender ordinance, thanks to the changes made approved by council during Tuesday night?s regular session. The ordinance was amended to better comply with the recently-passed LB285, which amended state ordinances to comply with the federal Adam Walsh Act, signed by former President Bush...
FL- In Somer Thompson case, rumors become a big problem
Posted on November 12, 200911-12-2009 Florida:by Dana TreenBloggers spread stories, and ruling them out takes valuable time away from the investigation.As with any high-profile case, the intense search for a killer in the slaying of 7-year-old Somer Thompson has generated rumors and speculation that can be costly and a frustrating distraction to investigators...
GA- Southern Center For Human Rights to get new leader
Posted on November 12, 200911-12-2009 Georgia:by Bill RankinThe Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta will have a new director at the beginning of next year.Sara Totonchi, 33, will be the first non-lawyer to head the non-profit, although she has long been immersed in some of the center's most high-profile causes -- improving the state's indigent defense system and legal attacks against Georgia's sex offender
MI- Ruling gives state most of child-killer Dean Metcalfe's pension
Posted on November 11, 20099-20-2009 Michigan:MUSKEGON COUNTY -- A Muskegon judge has awarded most of child-murderer Dean Catlin Metcalfe's pension money to the state, to reimburse taxpayers for some of the cost of keeping Metcalfe in prison until he dies.The Sept. 3 order by 14th Circuit Judge James M...
WA- Bremerton Neighbors Question Cluster of Sex Offenders
Posted on November 11, 200911-11-2009 Washington:by Josh FarleyFor Libby Parins, having eight sex offenders as neighbors has not only decreased the quality of life on the 900 block of Washington Avenue, it has hurt the value of her home.She understands the need for housing ex-convicts like sex offenders once they?ve done their time...
FL- Two arrested in attack on accused child molester
Posted on November 11, 200911-10-2009 Florida:by JON BURSTEIN, Sun SentinelTwo Broward men were in jail Sunday after allegedly beating a third man with concrete blocks when a young boy said the man had fondled him.The Fort Lauderdale man who police say was severely beaten by a furious father after allegedly fondling a 3-year-old boy had been arrested twice before -- but never convicted -- in sex crime cases, according to
FL- Bus stop protestors reach agreement
Posted on November 10, 2009This takes the cake, the original issue was the school bus stop which is outside the park on the main road. Now, the resolution is, to install 9 cameras inside the park to monitor sex offenders, but which ones? In addition, the bus stop may have kids for a few minutes of the day, say twice a day, but they intend to monitor the sex offenders 24/7...
MI- Bay County attorney hopes to test homeless defense for man accused of failing to register as a sex offender
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 Michigan:by LaNia Coleman | The Bay City TimesHow does a convicted sex offender comply with the state Sex Offender Registration Act if he?s homeless??The legislature has us in a quandary,? Bay City attorney Mark E. Janer said.Janer is representing Patrick J...
Framed for child porn _ by a PC virus
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 National:by JORDAN ROBERTSONOf all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses ? the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers...
Pedophiles aren't always men
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 Global:by Mary Elizabeth WilliamsThe number of children reporting sex abuse by women has risen an astonishing 132 percent in the last five years When we think about a child abuser, it?s usually just as easy to imagine a woman as a man ? to envision a sadistic schoolmarm or the tormenting mother of ?Precious...
IL- Judge Rules Web Commenter Will Be Unmasked to Mom of Criticized Teen
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 Illinois:by Martha NeilAn Illinois judge has decided that an anonymous commenter on a newspaper website will be unmasked, even though the mother of a teen about whom "Hipcheck16" allegedly made "deeply disturbing" comments hasn't yet decided whether to sue over the posting...
ME- Prison guard fired after inmate death
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 Maine:by Abigail Curtis2nd jail worker demoted in aftermath of homicide WARREN, Maine ? The Maine Department of Corrections has fired one prison guard and demoted another after an internal investigation into the April homicide of inmate Sheldon Weinstein...
OH- PERSPECTIVE: Registry couldn't stop Ohio deaths
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 Ohio:COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? One of Ohio's foremost champions of tougher sexual predator laws conceded a certain futility to such efforts as body after body was removed last week from the Cleveland home of Anthony Sowell.Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, a former state Senator from the Dayton suburb of Beavercreek, repeatedly championed state laws that he and other supporters believed
OH- Sex Offender Checks Quick; Deputies Can't Enter Homes
Posted on November 10, 2009Police admitted, that address checks are not preventative? If address checks have no preventative value, then how do address checks make the community safer? If this case proves anything it is that, the registry has no safety value to the community!11-10-2009 Ohio:by NewsNet5...
OH- Case against Ohio bodies suspect expands overseas
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 Ohio:by THOMAS J. SHEERANAuthorities are investigating whether a suspected serial killer whose home and yard harbored the remains of at least 11 people is connected to any killings in places he lived while in the military, including Japan, California and the Carolinas...
NJ- NJ SUPREME COURT RULING FORCES UPPER TWP., OTHERS, TO CHANGE SEX OFFENDER LAWS
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 New Jersey:by Gregg BrowneUPPER TWP.--- On Monday night the Township Committee voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that would have the effect of invalidating an existing 2005 ordinance that regulates where convicted sex offenders can live...
CA- Detectives Use New Technology to Capture Sex Offender in Santa Cruz
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 California:by KCBA.comSANTA CRUZ, Calif- Police have arrested a man who allegedly contacted a 12 year-old over the internet for sex.Santa Cruz Police were investigating Jeffery Totten for over a week when a Santa Cruz Police Department Detective who posed as a 12 year old female in an Internet chat room was contacted by Totten...
IN- Sex offender registry reduced by 1/3
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 Indiana:by Megan StembolSupreme court decision opens potentialALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) - A landmark case at the Indiana Supreme Court may decrease the number of people in Allen County that have to register as a sex offender by more than a third...
MI- Editorial: Sex Offender Registry: Too broad a list
Posted on November 10, 200911-10-2009 Michigan:by Muskegon ChronicleLawmakers need to review the rules that put names on the listThe Michigan Court of Appeals? precedent-setting decision to remove a Muskegon man?s name from the state?s Public Sex Offender Registry was the right one...
DC- DOJ Appropriations for 2010 HR-2847
Posted on November 09, 200911-9-2009 Washington DC:by eAdvocate Passed Senate: H.R. 2847: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (Passed Both Chambers) Passed Senate 71-28, 1 not voting with 96% of Democrats supporting, 65% of Republicans opposing...
DC- New co-sponsor on HR-1623 International Megans Law
Posted on November 09, 200911-9-2009 National:by eAdvocate H.R. 1623: International Megan's Law of 2009 Cosponsorship change. Rep. Berkley [D-NV1]: New cosponsor. This bill has been reviewed, click for comments.
NC- Convicted sex offender may see case heard in North Carolina Supreme Court
Posted on November 09, 2009Here we go again, with the its CIVIL not CRIMINAL claim. I liken that to the state saying, we are killing you not as a punishment, but to protect the public and that is civil; really? These arguments all wordsmith around the real issue "Punishment." Anything done, after the sentence, is not civil but an extension of the punishment (my opinion)...
DC- Weighing Life in Prison for Youths Who Didn?t Kill
Posted on November 08, 200911-7-2009 Washington DC:by ADAM LIPTAKTALLAHASSEE, Fla. ? There are just over 100 people in the world serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole for crimes they committed as juveniles in which no one was killed. All are in the United States...
DC- As it Turns Out, There Are Limits on Congress's Power
Posted on November 08, 200911-8-2009 Washington DC:by Ilya ShapiroIn 2006, Congress passed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. One provision of the law authorizes the federal government to civilly commit anyone in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons whom the attorney general certifies to be ?sexually dangerous...
FL- Deputies Search For Somer's Tote Bag, Lunch Box
Posted on November 08, 200911-8-2009 Florida:by CF News13.comORANGE PARK -- The Somer Thompson case made national headlines Saturday night as it aired on 'America?s Most Wanted.'During the program, two sketches were shown. Clay County deputies believe the tote bag and round lunch box with a pink pig design belonged to the 7-year-old...
FL- Sex Offender Arrest Attempt Turns Into Brawl
Posted on November 08, 200911-8-2009 Florida:Group Of People Attack Police In Boynton Beach ApartmentBOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- Officers tried to catch a suspected sex offender Friday night and ended up in the middle of a brawl.It happened on Southwest First Street in Boynton Beach just after 11 p...
Study finds cops who fight kid porn traumatized by pix
Posted on November 08, 200911-8-2009 National:by Jessica FargenCops who spend their shifts trolling the Internet for child predators say they aren?t surprised by a study that found some officers are traumatized by the sickening porn images they see daily.Some 500 officers who combat cyber crimes against children completed an online University of New Hampshire survey, which found that one in 10 saw health, marital, work or
Sherry F. Colb Are "Hate Crimes" the Same Thing as "Thought Crimes"?: Opponents of the Federal Hate Crime Bill Invoke Free Speech
Posted on November 08, 200911-8-2009 National:by SHERRY F. COLBToday, President Obama is scheduled to sign the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill, which will expand the scope of the federal hate crime law to include that committed on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability...
DC- U.S. Supreme Court to Examine Life in Prison for Juveniles
Posted on November 08, 2009The cases are Sullivan v. Florida, 08-7621, and Graham v. Florida, 08-7412.11-8-2009 Washington DC:The Supreme Court is being asked to say that locking up juveniles and throwing away the key is cruel and unusual -- and thus, unconstitutional.Joe Sullivan was sent away for life for raping an elderly woman and judged incorrigible though he was only 13 at the time of the attack...
OH- Anthony Sowell timeline
Posted on November 08, 200911-8-2009 Ohio:by Plain Dealer staffAug. 19, 1959: Sowell is born. He is raised in East Cleveland.Jan. 24, 1978: Sowell enlists in the Marine Corps. He serves eight years, in North Carolina, California and Okinawa.Jan. 18, 1985: Sowell is discharged from the Marines and returns to East Cleveland...
OH- Hunting at home: Alleged Ohio serial killer, with bodies in house, rare among mass killers
Posted on November 08, 200911-8-2009 Ohio:by JOHN SEEWER and ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS CLEVELAND ? Authorities say Anthony Sowell lured women into his home in a busy neighborhood, killed them ? most by strangulation ? and scattered their remains throughout the inside and buried some in the backyard...
KY- EDITORIAL: Ruling on sex offender law should stand
Posted on November 07, 200911-7-2009 Kentucky:Editorial by Messenger-InquirerLast month, the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional an overzealous attempt by the Kentucky General Assembly to restrict where convicted sex offenders can live. The court made the right decision, and Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway should have let the issue rest...
Cruel life in prison
Posted on November 07, 200911-7-2009 National:Editorial by LA TimesJuvenile offenders should not receive a sentence that offers no hope for eventual release.The U.S. Supreme Court recognized in 2005 that it is unconstitutionally cruel to execute people for crimes committed before they were 18, because youths lack the sense of responsibility that society requires of adults...
CA- Questioning of Dugard, Garrido detailed
Posted on November 07, 200911-7-2009 California:John Simerman, Contra Costa TimesJaycee Dugard hid her identity, lied, refused to answer questions and asked for a lawyer as a parole agent probed her relationship with Phillip Garrido during the Aug. 26 meeting in Concord that prompted the arrests of Garrido and his wife...
FL- Paid promotion deal raises questions about Mark Lunsford's finances
Posted on November 07, 200911-7-2009 Florida:by Susan Taylor Martin, Times Senior Correspondent HOMOSASSA ? Since his daughter Jessica was raped and murdered in 2005, Mark Lunsford has become one of America's best-known child advocates. With the help of donations to his nonprofit foundation, Lunsford has lobbied nationwide for tougher laws against criminals who prey on children...
SD- Parole Supervision In South Dakota
Posted on November 07, 200911-7-2009 South Dakota:A team of nearly 40 South Dakota parole officers keep an eye on convicted felons when they're released from prison.The work of parole officers across the country went under the microscope this week when the California Inspector General criticized parole officers in that state for missing several chances to stop a crime in its tracks...
OH- Neighbors: Suspected serial killer seemed harmless
Posted on November 07, 200911-7-2009 Ohio:CLEVELAND ? The man who lived in the house of rotting corpses never gave people a reason to wonder what he was really doing behind closed doors.Anthony Sowell was the guy who liked to sit on his front steps drinking King Cobra Malt Liquor for $1...
CA- Authorities: Many Sex Offenders Lie About Where They Live
Posted on November 07, 200911-7-2009 California:SAN DIEGO -- Hundreds of sex offenders in San Diego County are registered as homeless and deceiving authorities about where they really live, 10News reported.Michael Eugene Lane, a sex offender convicted of lewd acts with a child, was detained in Rancho Bernardo last week, authorities told 10News...
OH- I-Team: Sowell's Sexual Predator Report
Posted on November 07, 2009It is important to note that, this report is really a "psychiatric report" used by the Ohio court when it classified Sowell in 2005 (prior to AWA), when he was paroled from prison. The report is not a "Sexual Predator" report, it seems that term was added based on someone's current feelings...
MI- Are sex-offender laws in need of reform?
Posted on November 06, 200911-6-2009 Michigan:Advocates of reforms to America's sex-offender laws no doubt will cheer a Muskegon-area man's successful effort to get his name off the state's registry.A state appeals court ruled unanimously this week that keeping the man's name on the list constituted cruel and unusual punishment...
Citizens for Second Chances has a new home on the web
Posted on November 06, 200911-6-2009 National:A quick note to let folks know that "Citizens for Second Chances" has a new home on the Internet.They are A Michigan Based Support Group For Families of Individuals Convicted of -or- Charged With A Sex Offense.Their old site was on Yahoo's Geocities, and Yahoo closed down hosting of ALL Geocities websites on October 26, 2009...
TX- Female Sex Offenders Increasing
Posted on November 06, 200911-6-2009 Texas:More Victims Reporting Women To PoliceSAN ANTONIO -- They could be anyone you know -- sisters, aunts, cousins and teachers. But their sexual crimes are far from harmless and now the number of female sex offenders in Bexar County is growing...
VA- Victim of child porn seeks damages from viewers
Posted on November 06, 200911-6-2009 Virginia:Misty is all grown up now.She goes by Amy these days, but even that's not her real name. So fearful of being outed as the "star" of the Misty child pornography series, she keeps her true identity a closely guarded secret.The Misty series is one of the most popular and readily available kiddie porn videos on the Internet...
IN- Should convicted drug dealers be ordered to register like sex offenders?
Posted on November 06, 2009Sure drug crimes should, and so should murderers, robbers, car thieves, domestic violence, and any other crime; each should have its own registry. Now, as to the remaining folks, they must be made to swear under oath, they have never committed a crime since birth, anyone refusing, well thats another registry! All those registries should keep the police so busy they don't have time to fight
CA- Jaycee Lee Dugard showed signs of Stockholm syndrome
Posted on November 06, 200911-6-2009 California:Jaycee Lee Dugard showed signs of Stockholm syndrome when she was found after 18 years in captivity, according to an official report by California's inspector general. When first interviewed by parole officers who were suspicious of her alleged abductor Phillip Garrido she did not reveal her identity...
CA- Sex Offender GPS: A Tool, Not a Solution
Posted on November 06, 2009A vendor has sold the state a white elephant, GPS will NEVER PREVENT crimes. Notice the comment about how parole agents must VISUALLY review reports from GPS units to see if they SEE any violations, nothing is automated. That type of system is a complete waste of taxpayer money...
KY- AG asks Supreme Court to rule on sex offender law
Posted on November 06, 200911-6-2009 Kentucky:FRANKFORT, KY (AP) ? Attorney General Jack Conway is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend the Kentucky Supreme Court's recent ruling which loosened restrictions on where convicted sex offenders may live.Kentucky's high court recently denied Conway's request to suspend its own ruling while he appeals to the federal supreme court...
OH- Accused serial killer previously stationed at Lejeune
Posted on November 06, 200911-6-2009 Ohio:An accused serial killer arrested on Halloween after Cleveland police found at least 11 dead bodies in his home spent time as a Marine at Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point.Anthony Sowell, 50, a registered sex offender in Ohio, is being held without bond on five counts of murder...
CA- County to pay $4 million to settle jail-beating lawsuit
Posted on November 06, 200911-6-2009 California:Illegal immigrant, accused of molestation, was left brain-damaged after inmates attacked him, his lawyer says.County officials have agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a lawsuit brought by an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was beaten by inmates while in custody at the Orange County jail, the man's attorney said Monday...
CA- California Official Admits Failure in Jaycee Dugard Case
Posted on November 05, 200911-5-2009 California:Parole Officers Ignored GPS Inconsistencies and Reports of Children on Phillip Garrido's PropertyThe corrections department official who was slammed in a California state report for failing to properly supervise Jaycee Dugard's accused kidnapper said today his parole agent's workload restricted him to spending only 45 minutes a week on each of his cases...
FL-Analyst: Sex Offender Laws Do Not Prevent Crimes
Posted on November 05, 2009Someone finally ALMOST gets it, these laws are supposed to PREVENT CRIME not keep politicians in office!11-5-2009 Florida:Sex offender laws aimed at keeping offenders at least 1,000 feet away from places where children gather don't work, according to a legislative policy analyst...
AL- Fed appeal court upholds sex offender requirements
Posted on November 05, 2009Reading the court decision it is hard to tell if, they are saying he violated FEDERAL law or STATE law. Clearly he had notice from the state he left, to register if he moved -although that notice didn't mention a federal requirement to do so- and he did not register when he did move...
MI- Prisoner (Sex Offender) bloodied, guards fired
Posted on November 05, 200911-5-2009 Michigan:IONIA, Mich. (WOOD) - No one is disputing that Antonio Rios sustained facial injuries and two broken teeth while he was inside the Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility.What is contested is who's at fault: Rios, five corrections officer who were fired over the incident, or the state of Michigan...
VA- Five correctional officers charged in dog fondling
Posted on November 05, 200911-5-2009 Virginia: Five Virginia Department of Corrections officers have been charged with animal cruelty involving the fondling of a K-9 dog and videotaping the two incidents.All five officers were training at the Academy for Staff Development in Goochland County to become K-9 handlers...
List of well-known serial murder cases
Posted on November 05, 200911-5-2009 National:Anthony Sowell of Cleveland has been charged with five counts of aggravated murder. Authorities said Wednesday they have confirmed a total of at least 11 victims whose remains were found at his home.Here is a list of well-known serial murder cases in the U...
OH- Anthony Sowell's neighbors wonder how stench of rotting bodies went unidentified for years
Posted on November 05, 200911-5-2009 Ohio:CLEVELAND, Ohio ? The stench in the air near East 123rd Street and Imperial Avenue left residents baffled for years.Drain pipes were flushed. A sewer line was replaced. But the smell still lingered.Some residents believed the overpowering odor came from a 57-year-old sausage shop on the corner...
OH- Ohio Supreme Court Oral Arguments and Briefs of cases related to the Adam Walsh Act (Ohio-SB10)
Posted on November 05, 2009Case No. 2008-2502 State of Ohio v. Christian N. Bodyke, David A. Schwab [and] Gerald E. Phillips BRIEFS:Case No. 2009-0091/2008-0992 Roman Chojnacki v. Marc Dann, Ohio Atty. General [Richard Cordray], in his Official Capacity BRIEFS: Case No. 2008-1624 In the Matter of: Darian J...
OH- Lawyers fight law on sex offenders before Ohio Supreme Court
Posted on November 05, 200911-4-2009 Ohio:Thousands of registered sex offenders would be subject to less-stringent reporting requirements if defense lawyers succeed in challenging parts of a 2007 state law intended to crack down on sexual criminals.The attorneys told the Ohio Supreme Court today that the get-tough law was applied illegally to more than 26,000 sex offenders who were sentenced before it took effect...
OH- Cleveland mass killing suspect linked to prior attack in Coronado
Posted on November 05, 200911-4-2009 Ohio:The suspect in a gruesome mass killing in Cleveland, Ohio may be responsible for the attack on a woman in San Diego.Authorities think a woman may have been raped in San Diego years ago by the convicted rapist at the center of a mass killing in Cleveland...
FL- Renters Say Ministry Converted Complex Into an 'Adult Community' of Sex Offenders
Posted on November 05, 200911-5-2009 Florida:WEST PALM BEACH (CN) - A woman says she and her children were booted from an apartment complex so a local ministry could convert it to a colony of sex offenders. She says the ministry bought the property to house the felons, but "at no point was the true nature of the business arrangement ever revealed to the residents," who had to leave on short notice...
ME- John Does lose bid for damages
Posted on November 04, 2009Someone clearly does not understand "immunity" as the damages should never have been claimed. Hopefully their lawyers are able to carry the other claims to a win, but it is doubtful in today's climate.11-4-2009 Maine:AUGUSTA -- Twenty-one men who sued the state to try to overturn a law that says they must register as sex offenders lost their bid to get state officials to pay for damages the men
CA- California Officials Faulted for Supervision of Sex Offender Accused of Kidnapping Jaycee Dugard
Posted on November 04, 2009Inspector General's Audit Report of Supervision of Phillip Garrido 11-4-2009 California: Corrections officials failed to properly supervise convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido and missed opportunities to discover the girl he allegedly kidnapped and held in his backyard for 18 years, a report released Wednesday said...
NY- Odd political flier causes stir
Posted on November 04, 200911-4-2009 New York:Town of Wheatfield attorney Robert O?Toole on Monday encouraged voters to ignore a questionable piece of campaign literature that was delivered to several homes on the eve of Election Day.O?Toole said the document in question, which suggested some town officials want to turn the former Summit Mall into a home for sex offenders, has ?absolutely not one word of truth? in it...
FL- Sex offender beaten while picking persimmon
Posted on November 04, 200911-4-2009 Florida:NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A sex offender's craving for persimmon was cut short by a punch to the ear from a neighbor who lived near the wild tree the convicted molester was perusing, deputies said.The neighbor, Chad T. Bunfill, 38, was arrested Sunday on a charge of battery on a person 65 or older, a sheriff's report said...
VT- Nude South Burlington runner cited
Posted on November 04, 200911-3-2009 Vermont:SOUTH BURLINGTON -- A man seen running without pants on a South Burlington bike path Saturday afternoon will face a charge of prohibited acts this morning in Vermont District Court in Burlington, police say.Richard Michaud, 38, of Williston, a convicted sex offender, was spotted Saturday afternoon by several witnesses on a recreation path near Brewer Parkway, said Cpl...
OFF TOPIC (Maybe): Flipping off McHenry County judge gets homeless man new digs -- jail
Posted on November 04, 2009Now I ask, who WON this case? The state, or the homeless guy? I mean the guy is homeless in the WINDY city, and WINTER is coming. A little disrespect earned the homeless guy -3 hots and a cot- for the winter. State's Attorney "I hope this sends a message...
MI- State appeals court limits sex offender registry
Posted on November 04, 2009Read the decision: 11-4-2009 Michigan:In what may be an important precedent, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that a man arrested for a so-called ?Romeo and Juliet? relationship cannot be listed on the state?s sex offender registry because doing so would constitute cruel and unusual punishment...
OH- Police: 4 more bodies removed from Ohio rapist?s home where police found 6 bodies last week
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 Ohio:CLEVELAND ? Remains of four more people were unearthed from the backyard of a rapist?s home Tuesday, raising to 10 the number of bodies found in and near the house, as police also searched boarded-up homes in the neighborhood where residents complained for years of a stench that one even said ?smelled like a dead body...
OH- Cleveland Rapist Charged with 5 Murders
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 Ohio:Six Bodies Were Found at Man's Home Last Week, But Total May be Higher; Two Bodies Seen Being Removed TodayA rapist living in an Ohio home where the bodies of several women have been found was charged Tuesday with five counts of aggravated murder, along with charges of rape, felonious assault and kidnapping...
CA- Calif. high court hears arguments on Jessica's Law
Posted on November 03, 2009Supreme Court Briefs For Cases To Be Argued on November 3 & 4, 200911-3-2009 California:The California Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case filed by four registered sex offenders who claim they were forced into homelessness by Jessica's Law...
FL- Studies show sex offender residency limits fail
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 Florida:TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Studies show that laws prohibiting sexual predators from living near schools and other places where children congregate do not prevent offenders from committing new crimes and may be counterproductive, a legislative policy analyst told a House panel Tuesday...
NY- Chief Federal Judge Approves New Voice Technology To Monitor Sex Offenders US District Court Validates the CVSA(R)
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 New York:Chief Federal Judge Approves New Voice Technology To Monitor Sex Offenders US District Court Validates the CVSA(R) Albany, NY, Nov. 2, 2009 - November 2, 2009 ? Sex offenders can be required to submit to a Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA) examination as part of their post-release supervision to determine if they are telling the truth, a federal court has ruled...
Ohio Supreme Court: Oral Arguments on SORNA Cases
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 Ohio:On Wednesday morning November 4th 9:00 AM, the Ohio Supreme Court will be hearing four cases that challenge the constitutionality of Senate Bill 10, Ohio's Adam Walsh Act, SORNA implementation.Oral Arguments will begin at 9 a.m. EDT, and will stream live online...
VT- ACLU suit challenges man's listing on sex registry
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 Vermont:MONTPELIER ? A man who was apparently improperly included in the state's public sex offender registry has sued the state to have his name removed.Identified only as John Doe in court records, the man was charged in 1999 with attempted kidnapping and attempted sexual assault...
NH- Panel: Let offenders reside near schools
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 New Hampshire:MANCHESTER ? The city should not enact a policy banning registered sex offenders from living near schools or day care centers, a city task force says in a new report."I've said it from the beginning: Residency restrictions are 'feel good' policy," said police Sgt...
OH- Judge rules on sex offender cases
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 Ohio:LISBON - A local judge upheld the state's reclassification of 28 sex offenders to more stringent reporting requirements, but ruled the change for one offender was a mistake.Judge C. Ashley Pike of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court reclassified Eugene Mathias Smith, 49, of East Liverpool as a Tier II offender instead of Tier III, which is the designation the state gave him
OH- Sowell's violent past offers glimpse of accused rapist suspected of mass murder
Posted on November 03, 2009Please note: Anthony Sowell, like John Couey, asked for therapy, in prison -- in community respectively, and both were denied by the State. While it may be true that, therapy may not have stopped their behavior, we do know the absence of it did nothing to help the victims...
IN- Teens Sue School Over Punishment For Racy MySpace Pics
Posted on November 03, 200911-3-2009 Indiana:INDIANAPOLIS ? Two sophomore girls have sued their school district after they were punished for posting sexually suggestive photos on MySpace during their summer vacation.The American Civil Liberties Union, in a federal lawsuit filed last week on behalf of the girls, argues that Churubusco High School violated the girls' free speech rights when it banned them from
MI- Fmr officer gets 60 days (jail time) for sex case
Posted on November 03, 2009Hopefully there are thousands of parents of juveniles who are registered, many without any conviction whatsoever, are ready to make a BIG STINK over this. Clearly this is an outrage!11-2-2009 Michigan:Thomas Carey faced up to five years in prisonGRAND HAVEN, Mich...
KY- State Supreme Court declines to stay ruling on sex offenders
Posted on November 03, 2009Now, will Justice Roberts jump in (to allow the state to continue to deny those registrants pending decision) as he did in the Kennedy death penalty case? Only time will tell....11-2-2009 Kentucky:FRANKFORT?The Kentucky Supreme Court has denied a stay of an October ruling that allows sex offenders who were convicted before July 2006 to choose where they live without restrictions...
VT- Residency law challenge moves forward
Posted on November 02, 200911-2-2009 Vermont:A convicted sex offender's legal challenge of a residency ordinance that prohibits him from living in Rutland is getting attention beyond the city's limits.Seven months after 38-year-old James Oney filed a lawsuit suing both the state Department of Corrections and the City of Rutland, a Rutland Superior Court judge said last week that he will hold a hearing to consider
NH- What he would do to child killers
Posted on November 02, 200911-2-2009 New Hampshire:SMITHFIELD ? Robert Croft, 74, has 10 great-grandchildren, if you include his step-great-grandchildren. Six of them are girls.Inside his house, at 86 Pleasant View Ave., he displays family photos.Outside his house, next to the Smithfield High School track, he displays a working guillotine...
OH- I-Team: The Predator Loophole
Posted on November 02, 2009This article almost provides the answer to residency laws causing homelessness. I wonder what lawmakers would do with residency laws IF, I say IF, if all homeless registrants with cars registered giving addresses that JUST HAPPENED to be the street in front of the Mayor's home or other lawmakers' homes? Does anyone think lawmakers would be motivated to change the laws? This would be better
Anthony Sowell and Phillip Garrido Cases Raise Questions About Sex Offender Monitoring
Posted on November 02, 200911-2-2009 National:Sowell Was Last Visited By Police About One Month AgoRegistered sex offender Anthony Sowell was able to hide six decomposed bodies in his Cleveland home from officials who routinely checked in on him has called into question the effectiveness of the probation and parole system...
WI- Wisconsin sex offender e-registry passes Assembly
Posted on November 02, 2009At some point someone will test this question: Does the state have the right to information kept in one's home, without a warrant or probable cause that a crime HAS BEEN committed? Whether or not folks think it is logical for the state to have the information, the question of "beyond the front door" and 4th Amendment and privacy issues scream in these laws...
16-Year Old Got Life Without Parole for Killing Her Abusive Pimp -- Should Teens Be Condemned to Die in Jail?
Posted on November 02, 200911-2-2009 National:Two cases in the U.S. Supreme Court could alter the fates of over 2,500 people serving life without parole for crimes they committed as teenagers.Sara Kruzan was 11 years old, a middle school student from Riverside, Calif., when she met a man -- he called himself GG -- who was almost three times her age...
GA- Murder case, Leo Frank (1915) lynching live on
Posted on November 02, 2009STORY HIGHLIGHTS * Mary Phagan's murder in 1913 spawned an Atlanta trial that's still talked about today * Leo Frank was convicted, later lynched by mob of respected community leaders * Case hit hot buttons: North vs. South; Jew vs. Christian; black vs...
FL- Halloween Display Sends Message To Child Predators
Posted on November 01, 200910-31-2009 Florida:EUSTIS, Fla. -- A mother in Lake County made an unusual Halloween display in hopes of sending a message to potential child predators.Everyone who drives by Grove Street near Ward Avenue in Eustis sees what looks like a bloody person hanging from a tree...
FL- Somer Thompson was found -- but why not Haleigh Cummings?
Posted on November 01, 200910-31-2009 Florida:Investigators quickly discovered Somer Thompson's body, but factors explain why Haleigh Cummings remains missingORANGE PARK - Across the street from where 7-year-old Somer Thompson lived in suburban Orange Park, a memorial grows in the shade of an old oak...
WV- Murder Trial Set for WV Man Accused of Killing Fellow Inmate
Posted on November 01, 200910-31-2009 West Virginia:A man accused of killing a fellow inmate at the Preston County Jail in 2005 will stand trial next year.Leonard Wotring III has pleaded not guilty in the first-degree murder of Timothy Daft, of Independence, who had been in the Kingwood jail on charges of sexually abusing a toddler...
FL- Somer Thompson case: was killer local?
Posted on October 31, 200910-31-2009 Florida:Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler held a press conference and released a possible profile regarding Somer Thompson?s killer. Due to the information given, criminal profiler Pat Brown suggests that the killer was someone local. Though attention has been focused on Georgia, where Somer?s body was found buried in a landfill, it is believed that the killer abducted and disposed of
FL- Florida ranks third in missing persons, mostly children
Posted on October 31, 200910-31-2009 Florida:At times Florida can seem to be the national epicenter of reported missing children and child abductions.The cases here gain national prominence and rarely have happy endings. After the media fanfare is over, the children's names stick out as sad reminders: Carlie Brucia...
KY- Ignoring the court (KY Supreme Court)
Posted on October 31, 2009See related article:10-31-2009 Kentucky:Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Attorney General Jack Conway needs to remember the wisdom of that old admonition as he and his counsel advise the Corrections Department not to follow a recent state Supreme Court ruling as Mr...
NV- Child Pornography: Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?
Posted on October 31, 200910-31-2009 Nevada:In Nevada, looking at child pornography is a Class B Felony, punishable by one to six years in prison and a five thousand dollar fine. Many experts say a child pornographer will never see a day behind bars, just a mere probation sentence...
Paedophile warning posters go up after ban fails
Posted on October 31, 200910-31-2009 Netherlands: The release of a convicted sex offender can stir up a community, but recent attempts to keep one from returning to the Dutch city of Eindhoven have caused equal commotion.His face was plastered on the front page of the biggest newspaper in the country on Thursday...
DC- U.S. Supreme Court to Review Sex Offender Residency?
Posted on October 31, 2009What is the issue the Kentucky AG wants it to be? This article speaks multiple issues and clarity will decide whether or not the high court even accepts the case. While the Kentucky Supreme court said, issue is one of ex post facto, the Kentucky AG seems to want it to be, Whether or not ALL registered sex offenders can live next to schools? Interesting is, there is not one once of proof that
NY- Jury: NY sex offender beat up wary neighbor
Posted on October 30, 2009Secondary dissemination is a problem because rarely is it truthful. i.e., according to what the law allows. As such it gets into a new area of law libel and slander. Although we do not know what exactly what was posted (words) beyond a picture, all around people get upset and this is a likely result...
FL- Somer Thompson: FBI hunts for clues in Georgia landfill
Posted on October 30, 200910-30-2009 Florida:Everything from taking crime scene photographs to lifting fingerprintsWhen FBI agent Larry Meyer heard that police found Somer Thompson?s body in a Georgia landfill last week, he mobilized a group of co-workers whose gruesome, painstaking work may reveal her killer...
MI- GH cop won't be on sex offender list
Posted on October 30, 2009Unbelievable, but there still may be justice. Michigan has a catch-all statute (MCL 28.722) which should cause this man to be forced to register, that statute is not under the control of the prosecutor.10-30-2009 Michigan:Thomas Carey to be sentenced Nov...
PA- Pa. Supreme Court Throws Out Thousands of Juvenile Delinquency Cases
Posted on October 30, 200910-30-2009 Pennsylvania:Court Says Cases Tainted by Alleged Kickback Scheme Involving Corrupt JudgeThe Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled late Thursday that almost all juvenile delinquency cases heard by an indicted former judge must be thrown out. The ruling means cases heard by former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella from Jan...
KY- State to appeal ruling limiting sex-offender law
Posted on October 29, 200910-29-2009 Kentucky:The Kentucky attorney general?s office has asked the state Supreme Court to delay enforcement of its Oct. 1 ruling throwing out part of the state?s sex-offender statute until the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case.The attorney general?s office filed a motion Oct...
NC- UPDATE: Law challenged after sex offender arrested for going to church
Posted on October 29, 200910-29-2009 North Carolina:Pittsboro, N.C. ? Lawyers for a registered sex offender appeared in court Thursday to challenge the constitutionality of a law under which he was charged for going to church.James Nichols, 31, was arrested on March 28 after he attended services at Moncure Baptist Church...
KY- Officials told to ignore sex offender (court) ruling
Posted on October 29, 2009There are way too many people in public office that thinks they are above the law!10-29-2009 Kentucky:Kentucky probation and parole officers have been told to violate a state Supreme Court opinion that found it was unconstitutional to retroactively apply a law that restricts where sex offenders can live...
CT- Rell announces updated sex offender registry
Posted on October 29, 2009Sex offenders living close to one's home are not the ones to be concerned about, if any at all. The Minnesota DOC study of WHERE sex offenders recidivate WHEN they do, and found that EVERY SINGLE sex offender that recidivated, did so miles away from their homes...
Guardians of Their Smiles
Posted on October 28, 200910-28-2009 National:FOR Jessica Gwozdz, a professional photographer and mother of two, Flickr was a blessing. It allowed her to share photos of her children, Grace and Henry, with distant, tech-averse relatives for whom a username and password would have been too great an obstacle...
CO- Police crush sex offender's car; warn of more
Posted on October 28, 2009I wonder what they will CRUSH when a police officer -from headquarters- does the same as this fellow did?10-28-2009 Colorado:DENVER - Officials in the police department wanted to figure out the most eye-catching way to make a statement about pursuing sex offenders...
After Somer Renee Thompson, Letting Our Kids Walk To School
Posted on October 28, 2009A dose of reality which everyone should read. Hats off to this Columnist: Dave Smith10-28-2009 National:The word insane comes to mind when thinking of the situation in Florida with little Somer Renee Thompson, the other similar cases around the nation and the thousands of very similar cases which will come...
TX- Mistakes on sex offender registry rare--but they happen
Posted on October 28, 2009A reporter living in the dark ages, sees ONE when there are hundreds! Here are a few:10-27-2009 Texas:A man in Illinois recently talked about the problems created when he was mistakenly included on that state's sex offender registry for 40 days. Illinois authorities said they didn't know how often such mistakes happened...
A NEW Blog by A Voice of Reason - Sex Offender: Holiday Restrictions
Posted on October 28, 200910-28-2009 National:Effective this date we have opened a new blog to handle just News items and other reports dealing with "Restrictions of Sex Offenders" on Holidays.Should anyone have any ideas on how to make this new blog better and more informative please contact eAdvocate by clicking on the RED BAR...
FL- Report: 4 men arrested for armed robbery at Somer Thompson's home hours before body found
Posted on October 27, 2009Links to further information in the original article. This is bizarre.10-27-2009 Florida:The Clay County Sheriff?s Office Daily Bulletin for Oct. 21, 2009, indicates that four men were arrested at the home of Somer Thompson for armed robbery on that date?just hours prior to the discovery of Somer's body...
FL- Another Florida Tragedy
Posted on October 27, 2009While I agree with most of what Dr. Dobbert says, one thing no one should be doing is, implying or pointing fingers at a sex offender as the cause of this horrible tragedy, AT THIS POINT, simply because there is no PUBLISHED evidence showing one is involved...
OH- Glitch forces review of cases
Posted on October 27, 200910-27-2009 Ohio:Victims are being notified that those who victimized them might be getting out. Thousands of ex-offenders could be released from state supervision, and more than 200 current inmates might get out of Ohio prisons early because of a sentencing glitch...
NE- Federal Funds Track Sex Offenders. . . For Now
Posted on October 27, 2009Given many are to register for a lifetime, this now becomes the most expensive address book in history. One which provides no safety for anyone, and remember, not a penny for PREVENTION in any grant. Makes one wonder whether safety is the goal -OR- is it job security!10-27-2009 Nebraska:Omaha, NE - To keep families safe, Douglas County Deputies use Federal Grant money to track sex offenders.
VA- Man disputes indecent-exposure charge
Posted on October 27, 2009Using points mentioned in the earlier article we can now see that the woman and child were clearly trespassing on private property. The only reason the charge may stick is, the Code of Blue, she is the wife of a police officer. Had she driven to and from the school there would be no problem...
FL- Bus stop moved near sex offender's home
Posted on October 27, 2009If parents would study Dep't of Justice statistics, those created by their ow tax dollars, they would find that 97%+ of prior sex offenses were committed by a family, friend or acquaintance (FFA) of the child. Yet parents would rather have their child stand waiting for the bus in the front of a FFA home where the child is more likely to be a victim of a sex offense...
CA- Sex Offender Sanctuary under a Fresno Bridge
Posted on October 27, 200910-27-2009 California:FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- You may have passed them on the streets and never even knew they were there. Sixty sex offenders -- making their way through the system and living together in a camp. It's on Topeka Street, off Ventura in Downtown Fresno ...
FL- Haleigh, Somer's cases are different
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 Florida:The discovery of a little girl's body in a Georgia landfill, which investigators have identified as that of missing Clay County second-grader Somer Thompson, comes as the search for another missing girl, Putnam County first-grader Haleigh Cummings, enters its ninth month...
FL- Parents Claim Child was Almost Abducted 2 Weeks Ago
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 Florida:ORANGE PARK, FL -- First Coast News spoke to the parents who say their child was almost abducted about two weeks before Somer Thompson disappeared. They visited Somer's home to pay their respects and visit Diena, Somer's mom.The parents tell First Coast News' Monica Landeros their 5-year-old was approached by three people in a car just a block from the vacant home on Gano
CA- California State Supreme Court to Determine Constitutionality of Requiring Registered Sex Offenders to Live Far from Children ? Part 1
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 California:On November 3, 2009, the California Supreme Court will hear a case that will affect thousands of paroled sex offenders who are forbidden by Jessica?s Law from living within 2,000 feet of places children regularly gather.The law, since its implementation in November 2006, has made as many as 1,300 sex offenders homeless...
MN- A vote against paying wages to sex offenders
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 Minnesota:Long before the news broke that sex offenders in a Moose Lake treatment facility had been given 50-inch, plasma TVs, Rep. Matt Dean had other concerns about the program.Dean, a Republican legislator from Dellwood, said he did not think it was a good idea for a state-run treatment facility to pay the patients for any work they performed -- especially when the program?s costs
GA- Family of girl found in landfill once called Paxton home
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 Florida:PAXTON GA. ? The mother and grandparents of a 7-year-old girl who was found dead last week in a Georgia landfill used to live in Paxton.Janeene Bradley of Rantoul said the family of Somer Thompson of Orange Park, Fla., has been in shock since investigators discovered the suburban Jacksonville, Fla...
FL- Predator May Have Killed Before
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 Florida:The person who killed 7-year-old Somer Thompson may have preyed on children before, making the search for the second-grader's slayer that much more urgent, police said. Clay County authorities said they are running frustratingly low on credible leads despite receiving more than 1,000 tips about Somer's kidnapping and murder...
WA- Castle Rock man appeals banishment from county
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 Washington:A Castle Rock sex offender who was banished from Cowlitz County last year has appealed his case to the Washington State Supreme Court.Jack Irvin Sims was convicted last year of first-degree child molestation after he entered the home of family friends and washed the back of an 11-year-old girl while she was in the shower...
Scotland Ups The Protection Level Against Repeat Sex Offenders (Recidivism 1.48%)
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 Scotland:Fewer than one in 60 of Scotland?s registered sex offenders reoffended in 2008-09, according to figures published today.Data showing how police, prison and local authorities currently work together to manage sex offenders and protect the public has been published...
WI- Slain man, Kenneth Irving, was set for residency hearing before sex offender board
Posted on October 26, 200910-26-2009 Wisconsin:The Green Bay Sex Offender Residency Board recently was called upon to consider an appeal from a sex offender who allegedly was murdered before his appeals hearing was scheduled.Kenneth Erving, 51, appealed to move to 617 Bodart St...
NC- Can Sex Offenders be Barred from Church?
Posted on October 25, 200910-25-2009 North Carolina:As widely reported, including in this Time magazine story, sex offenders who are barred by state law from going near children have begun to invoke their free exercises rights when such state laws are used to keep them from attending religious services in houses of worhsip that also supervise children...
ID- S. Idaho Girl Scouts moving due to sex offenders
Posted on October 25, 200910-25-2009 Idaho:TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) - The Twin Falls headquarters for 620 Girls Scouts in south-central is moving due to what officials say are too many registered sex offenders in the neighborhood.Shelli Rambo Robertson, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council, tells The Times-News that the location on Fourth Avenue is not a safe environment because there are more than 50 registered
Mob arrested for killing rapist
Posted on October 25, 200910-25-2009 South Africa:Thirty-eight women who allegedly beat a rape suspect to death were arrested in Ngcobo near Mthatha, Eastern Cape police said. The women allegedly attacked the man after his release from police custody on Friday, Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela said...
FL- 2 Men Arrested in Attack On Suspected Molester
Posted on October 25, 200910-25-2009 Florida:Father, Neighbor Arrested in Savage Attack in DavieDAVIE, Fla. -- Two men have been arrested in Davie for allegedly attacking another man whom they believed had molested the son of one of the suspects.The man who was beaten, Luke Petruschke, was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood where he was placed in intensive care...
VT- Research Sheds Light on Juvenile Sexual Offenders
Posted on October 25, 200910-25-2009 Vermont:George Leibowitz, assistant professor of social work, is convinced that producing research that reveals the differences between adolescent and adult sexual offenders will change the way juvenile offenders are treated by society, law enforcement and therapists...
MN- Investigators learned from Wetterling case
Posted on October 25, 200910-25-2009 Minnesota:It was a kind of case local investigators hadn?t seen before.A boy taken at gunpoint in front of his brother and friend. No witness saw what direction the masked gunman took the boy or got a good description of what he looked like...
FL- POLL Teen sex: Collier schools not teaching teenagers when romance can land them in jail
Posted on October 25, 200910-25-2009 Florida:Following arrest of Immokalee football players, some teens say they don't know the lawNAPLES ? They learn in school about the benefits of abstinence.They learn about sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and birth control.But one thing that is glaringly clear after the recent arrest of four Immokalee football players on charges that they had group sex with a 15-year-old girl:
FL- Search for clues continues at scene near where Somer Thompson disappeared
Posted on October 24, 2009From the above article and the points mentioned, the following map shows where Somer Thompson had to walk to get to and from school. Some of these streets look like streets that are heavily traveled, someone must have seen this girl. Click on picture to see it full size...
IL- Man wrongly ends up on sex offender list
Posted on October 24, 2009Police will always say, that offenders must accept responsibility. However, when the shoe is on the other foot, police will try to wiggle out of admitting any error!10-24-2009 Illinois:Scott Ibarra had no idea he was wrongly listed as a sex offender until a pal pointed it out...
CA- Sex Offender Flyer Sent to Fresno County Residents
Posted on October 24, 200910-24-2009 California:FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A flyer sent out to more than eleven thousand residents who live in unincorporated county islands is sparking a new debate between the Sheriff's Department and Fresno city leaders. The mailer claims the city of Fresno has lost track of a large number of registered sex offenders...
FL- Police comb landfill for clues to Florida girl's death
Posted on October 24, 200910-23-2009 Florida:(CNN) -- Investigators in Georgia are combing through a "tremendous mountain" of garbage at a landfill, searching for clues to the slaying of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, a sheriff's spokeswoman said Friday. Authorities found the Florida girl's body Wednesday in the landfill near Folkston, about 55 miles north of Orange Park, Florida, where the girl was last seen by her
CO- Man Wrongfully Arrested In Sex Offender Crack-Down
Posted on October 24, 200910-23-2009 Colorado:Operation Shepherd 2009 was supposed to go smoothly, and at first it appeared that everything was on track. Operation Shepherd 2009 was supposed to go smoothly, and at first it appeared that everything was on track. After the first night, seven of nine people were under arrest for failing to register as a sex offender or on warrants for sex crimes in Pueblo...
IN- Judge and prosecutor argue over sex offender plea
Posted on October 24, 200910-24-2009 Indiana:LA PORTE - A plea agreement by a sex offender ignited friction Friday when La Porte Circuit Court Judge Tom Alevizos threatened La Porte County Prosecutor Rob Beckman with jail after the prosecutor shot back in defense of the agreement...
Blogger accused of threatening 7th Circuit judges is free on bail
Posted on October 24, 200910-24-2009 National:NEWARK, N.J. ? A New Jersey blogger accused of threatening lawmakers and judges in two states is free on $500,000 bond.Hal Turner lit a cigar as he walked out of the federal courthouse in Newark on Oct. 21. The 47-year-old waved away a reporter and photographer because he?s under strict orders not to talk to the news media...
CA- Deputies union apologizes for sex offender mailer
Posted on October 24, 2009UPDATE of earlier story: A war between two police agencies over the misuse of sex offender registrant statistics in a police mailer, one agency, wrongfully claiming, the other does not properly monitor them and many are missing, when in reality most were in jail and other died or were deported...
FL- Police: We Know How Somer Was Killed
Posted on October 23, 200910-23-2009 Florida:Police updated the search for Somer Thompson's killer in a morning news conference Friday. Here are details released by Clay County Public Information Officer Mary Justino: Police know the cause of death, but have to preserve the integrity of the investigation so they are not going to release any information...
NJ- Letting Our Kids Walk to School..After Somer
Posted on October 23, 200910-23-2009 New Jersey:When you hear that a little girl was abducted and killed -- as we did this past week about Somer Renee Thompson, the Florida 7-year-old who ran ahead of her friends on her walk home from school and was found a few days later in a landfill -- it is hard to feel anything other than anguish and rage...
FL- No area sex offender suspects in Fla. girl's death
Posted on October 23, 2009This is a second tragic case and we hope that, whoever the perpetrator is, that s/he/they are caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Our prayers go out to the families of both Somer Thompson and Haleigh Cummings10-23-2009 Florida:ORANGE PARK, Fla...
Important National Juvenile Justice Documents
Posted on October 23, 200910-23-2009 National:Three critically important documents from the National Juvenile Justice Network courtesy of Alisa Klein of ATSA:Megan?s Law: Juvenile Sex Offender Registration (2009 Update)Currently, all jurisdictions have enacted a version of ?Megan?s Law,? a law that requires convicted criminal sex offenders to register with police, and permits the community to be notified of necessary and
MN- Minn. Vets Get TVs From Sex Offenders
Posted on October 23, 2009Further proof that, the state has no real interest in treating sex offender even in civil commitment (see highlights), or the professional suggestions of treatment professionals.10-23-2009 Minnesota:Veterans homes get TVs from Moose Lake facilityST. PAUL, Minn...
Accused rapist hacked to death
Posted on October 23, 200910-23-2009 Imphal:Imphal, October 22 2009: One accused in the rape and murder case of Sapam Memton (35) of Pukhao Khabam under Lamlai police station has been hacked to death by an infuriated mob today.The slain accused has been identified as Moirangthem Tiken alias Ibung (34) s/o late Ningthemjao of Pukhao Khabam Mamang Leikai...
VT- Suggestive letters lead to sex charges
Posted on October 23, 200910-23-2009 Vermont:BARRE ? A high school sophomore entered a pair of conditional guilty pleas in Vermont District Court on Monday to charges stemming from his decision to leave two sexually suggestive letters in the mailbox of a five-year-old neighbor over the summer...
KY- Lexington house forfeited in child-porn case
Posted on October 23, 200910-23-2009 Kentucky:CHEVY CHASE MAN PLEADED GUILTY IN JUNE TO LARGE COLLECTIONA Lexington man must spend more than 15 years in prison and forfeit his Chevy Chase home after pleading guilty to child pornography charges, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.Joseph Robert Leitner, 62, pleaded guilty in June to one charge of receiving child pornography...
Justice Department Announces $7.3 Million in Awards, Supports Adam Walsh Act, Sex Offender Management
Posted on October 23, 2009What a waste of money, we have got to be into the billions now on nothing but tracking, and not one red cent on prevention! There is no doubt in my mind that Congress and every state lawmaker are doing nothing but protecting jobs with these registries, that accomplish nothing whatsoever...
Adult Time for Adult Crimes
Posted on October 23, 200910-23-2009 National:Is life without parole unconstitutional for juveniles?"As any parent knows,? children are different. So said U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy more than four years ago in Roper v. Simmons. There, a deeply divided court ruled 5-4 that executing those who committed murder as juveniles violated the Eighth Amendment?s proscription against cruel and unusual
FL- Threat sex offenders pose varies widely
Posted on October 23, 200910-23-2009 Florida:Levels of sex offender threat not all the sameFor 45 minutes Thursday, Sgt. Chuck Mulligan stayed on the phone, talking to a worried woman.There was a sexual predator living nearby, she told the St. Johns County lawman. She wanted to make him move...
NY- Report: Babylon's sex offender rules can cause problems
Posted on October 22, 200910-22-2009 New York:Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone says current sex offender residency restrictions could be pushing offenders underground and away from law enforcement - citing a two-year analysis of the addresses of sex offenders living in the town that found nearly one-third were not residing at the locations listed on the state's sex offender registry...
VA- Was he making coffee naked or exposing himself to a child?
Posted on October 22, 2009Can this be true? The mother and her child were trespassing on private property and peeped into his windows at 8:40AM, sees him naked getting a cup of coffee after just waking up, and he gets arrested? Unbelievable! Thank heavens I don't live in Virginia...
OK- 'Misleading' molester ad denounced by Adelson
Posted on October 22, 200910-22-2009 Oklahoma:The mayoral candidate's record on crime is questioned.Mayoral candidate Tom Adelson said his opponent Dewey Bartlett Jr. has taken his campaign into the gutter with a new "misleading, downright false" TV ad implying that Adelson is soft on child molesters...
MI- Sex offenders may have to avoid bus stops
Posted on October 22, 2009Again, we have a Journalist who has not done proper research before writing this article which is riddled with errors. This bill will not protect anyone and will harm many. Further, how does one measure 1,000 feet of a school bus stop, when a bus stop has no boundaries, it is a pinpoint where the bus door opens up...
FL- Day Care May Oust Sex Offenders
Posted on October 22, 2009Hummm, as I recall it is a tort (Abuse of Process) to use a legal process for an illegal reason! And, the damages are usually treble, but here it is Florida and justice is thin there...10-22-2009 Florida:Families Concerned About Bus Stop Location Take ActionORLANDO, Fla...
TX- How lawyers fight in Texas, in the courtroom
Posted on October 22, 2009Folks, whether or not you are a Texan, you have to read this one, its clearly worth your time!10-22-2009 Texas:From D.A. ConfidentialRemember to click on the pictures and read the motion as well as the response to it.eAdvocate
WV- Woman recants story of West Virginia abuse
Posted on October 22, 200910-22-2009 West Virginia:(CNN) -- A 22-year-old woman whose claims that she was abused in a trailer in rural West Virginia in 2007 helped send six people to prison now says she made up the story, her lawyer said Wednesday. "She is recanting her entire story," attorney Byron Potts told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, about his client, Megan Williams, who moved there after the incident...
Abuse report: 10,440 children died 2001-07
Posted on October 21, 200910-20-2009 National:More than 10,000 children died from abuse or neglect in the United States from 2001 through 2007, a report released today says.The U.S. death rate is more than double the rate in France, Canada, Japan, Germany, Great Britain and Italy, countries that have less teen pregnancy, violent crime and poverty, according to the report by the Every Child Matters Education Fund, a
How Often Do Women Falsely Cry Rape?
Posted on October 20, 200910-20-2009 National:The question the Hofstra disaster left dangling.How often do women falsely cry rape? Because of the 18-year-old Hofstra student who recanted after telling police that five men had tricked her into a bathroom and then gang raped her two weeks ago, that question has been flying around the Internet...
False Rape Charge ?Ruined His Life? But No Repercussions for Her
Posted on October 20, 200910-20-2009 National:Since Emily Bazelon claims to be concerned about false rape claims, I'd be interested in her take on this one (LoHud.com, 10/1/09). But it's more than just a false rape claim, it's a false DV claim and parental kidnapping all rolled into one...
TX- Woman who claimed rape out on bail
Posted on October 20, 200910-20-2009 Texas:A 26-year-old woman is free on bail after being arrested this weekend on a charge of making a false report.Police said Nicole Soto falsely claimed two San Antonio police officers raped her. Soto was arrested Saturday and posted bail the same day, authorities said...
VA- RU student recants story about being assaulted
Posted on October 20, 200910-20-2009 Virginia:A Radford University student who reported being sexually assaulted by a stranger last week has recanted her story.The university issued a description of a suspect in the case on Oct. 8 and disseminated a "timely warning" to the university community, as required by federal law...
IN- Victims often know their sexual abusers
Posted on October 20, 200910-20-2009 Indiana:Part 1 of a Herald Special ReportWhat does a sex offender look like? Do they dress a certain way? Live in a certain area? Would you know one if you met one?Sexual abuse and pedophilia are in every lifestyle, every economic stratus, every race, every religion,? said psychologist Cathy L...
MN- Do pricey TVs treat sex offenders?
Posted on October 20, 2009This article is valuable beyond the issue of "Pricey TVs," note the statistics and the fact that, not one single person has ever met the criteria for release. The standard for release is set -by the state- so high that, not even a person who has never committed a sex offense could ever meet it...
MN- Pawlenty Orders Removal Of Sex Offenders' Luxe TVs
Posted on October 20, 200910-20-2009 Minnesota:Gov. Tim Pawlenty called the purchase of big flat-screen TVs for a Minnesota sex offender treatment facility "boneheaded" and said Tuesday he wants them removed, sold and replaced with smaller sets."They don't need 50-inch, flat-screen plasma televisions for sex offenders," the Republican governor said outside his official residence after an unrelated meeting with
OR- Lincoln County teen sentenced to two months jail in 'sexting' case
Posted on October 20, 200910-20-2009 Oregon:NEWPORT ? A teen-aged girl who faced at least six years in a state prison on sexual offense charges relating to a "sexting" case, instead began a two-month stay in county jail Friday.The girl, now 18, pleaded guilty to reduced charges of third-degree sexual abuse and solicitation to encourage child sexual abuse for using her phone making a sexually-explicit video of a teenage
FL- Sex Offenders at Saint Francis Will Have to Move
Posted on October 20, 200910-20-2009 Florida:Mission: Impossible?They say they're trying to "make a difference, one person at a time." They've provided a home to over "10,000 souls seeking love, understanding, and compassion." Indeed, The Mission of Saint Francis in Fort Lauderdale seems like an ideal place to temporarily house sex offenders who have served their time...
Md. pulls young sex offenders from residential center
Posted on October 19, 200910-19-2009 Maryland:Juvenile sex offenders will no longer be allowed to live at a residential treatment center in Rockville, a state agency ruled after neighbors said they felt unsafe in their own community.The state Department of Juvenile Services ordered Karma Academy, a 13-bed treatment facility, to remove any sex offenders it is treating by next month...
CA- Group opposes sex-offender registry for youths
Posted on October 19, 200910-19-2009 California:Legislation that requires states to publish the names and photos of minors who have been convicted of sex-related offenses in a nationwide public registry is being discouraged by a Washington, D.C.-based group.Some states already include minors as young as 14 in their own statewide sex-offender registries, but legislation known as the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety
MA- Sex offender bylaw now includes loitering provision
Posted on October 19, 200910-19-2009 Massachusetts:No loitering within 300 feet of town or state park for sex offenders convicted of child-related offenseIf Town Meeting passes a bylaw restricting where Level 3 sex offenders may legally live in town, legislators will also be restricting where these felons may legally loiter...
WV- State Supreme Court to Swear In Officers Who Monitor Sex Offenders
Posted on October 19, 200910-19-2009 West Virginia:Those officers operated a pilot program to carry out provisions of the new law, which requires extended supervision for sexual offenders, especially those convicted of crimes against children.CHARLESTON -- Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice Brent D...
OH- Homeless sex offenders roam city streets
Posted on October 18, 2009Folks, read this article carefully, "Homeless List Their Address as ____." OK so the public is notified of the WHERE and there is a picture on the Internet. What more is necessary, avoid those areas if the fear-mongering has got you petrified? Now, a suggestion to resolve this alleged problem: Every police force needs to return to the days of horses and have 24/7 officers riding their horses
MI- Child sexual abuse drops, but online victims are on the rise
Posted on October 18, 200910-18-2009 Michigan:He could be a coach.He could be a teacherOr perhaps he is a father.However, he could also be a child molester, possibly a predator.He is someone who haunts the popular social networking Web sites and chat rooms where children often share personal information about their lives...
OK- Oklahoma City University Law School will work to free not guilty
Posted on October 18, 200910-18-2009 Oklahoma:Students to get court experience in exoneration casesThe Oklahoma City University School of Law is working on an endeavor to help free the wrongly convicted and give its students practical experience in the criminal justice system...
FL- Social media the new crime-fighter
Posted on October 18, 200910-18-2009 Florida:From the break-in at Lindsay Lohan's Los Angeles home posted on YouTube to missing-person Twitter alerts from the Boca Raton police chief, social media sites are being used to fight crime and make our neighborhoods safer.A couple from Atlanta rigged their house with cameras, and after a burglary at the home, they posted the surveillance on YouTube...
FL- Florida a leader in putting kids in jail for life
Posted on October 18, 2009This opinion is based on two juvenile cases to be heard in the U.S. Supreme court this term: Terrance Graham v. State of Florida (08-7412) and Joe Sullivan v. State of Florida (08-7621).10-18-2009 Florida:The latest measure of Florida's medieval mind set comes in at 77...
NY- EDITORIAL: Sex-offender residency restrictions don't make kids safer
Posted on October 17, 200910-17-2009 New York:Conventional wisdom is a powerful force that often leads the well-intentioned astray. For example, there's the widespread belief that we can make children safer by restricting where known sex offenders are allowed to live. The notion is enticing in its simplicity...
GA- Woman accused of false rape report arrested
Posted on October 17, 200910-17-2009 Georgia:Macon police arrested a woman today and charged her with making a false report of a crime and false statements, a release said.Police arrested Tomeika Strange, 21, of Macon. She had recently accused two individuals of kidnapping and rape on Oct...
LA- Keithville woman arrested for false rape report
Posted on October 17, 200910-17-2009 Louisiana:SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - A Keithville woman is now behind bars after allegedly filing a false police report.Shreveport Police arrested 22-year-old Olivia Green who now faces a charge of criminal mischief, after reporting back on October 8 that she had been abducted and sexually assaulted...
MO- Bully Web Site Lands Missouri Teen in Jail
Posted on October 17, 200910-17-2009 Missouri:Cyber-bullying has become a major issue around the world. Teens across the U.S. and across the pond in Europe find themselves constantly faced with this new form of harassment. But if we had to pick one place as the epicenter of this disturbing new trend it would be Missouri...
MS- Official: ID sex crime convicts
Posted on October 17, 2009There isn't a single reason for a policeman to know, beforehand, that someone he stopped is a sex offender, because officers -by law- should be treating everyone stopped equally. Further, since the law prohibits LIVING, not BEING, within a certain distance of a school, such a stop does not justify what this proposed law will do...
Dropped sex charges in dead teen's case gall police
Posted on October 16, 2009Given the age of Tiffany this case still qualifies for our "Deaths of Others" under sexual circumstances. Tiffany was underage when she got pregnant, now we wait for the police to find out who got her pregnant.10-16-2009 North Carolina:Prosecutors defend decision, saying there wasn't enough evidence to go forward...
MN- St. Francis Streakers Cause Extra Security at Games
Posted on October 16, 200910-16-2009 Minnesota:SAINT FRANCIS, Minn. - A St. Francis teen could be charged as a sex offender for streaking at a football game. It?s become such a problem, extra security is out to stop any other teens from baring it all at Thursday's game.For some teenagers, streaking across the field during a football game is a high school tradition...
OH- Holmesville man designated sex offender, must place sign in his yard
Posted on October 16, 2009Study his actual actions then decide if this is a sex offense? Just his actions not what may have come next.. The article says "he stopped," equate this to a fellow taking a girl's hand and kissing it; is that a sex offense, if so, then all foreplay (or whatever you want to call actions, including taking a person out, where does that line end?)must be considered sex offenses...
IN- Valpo woman sentenced after pleading guilty to false rape report
Posted on October 15, 200910-15-2009 Indiana:A Valparaiso woman who the Porter County Sheriff?s Police said falsely accused a man of raping her has been sentenced to 180 days in jail after pleading guilty to a charge of false reporting.Erica Donohue, 20, of 1209 1/2 Chicago St...
NC- Lifers could be released from prisons
Posted on October 15, 200910-15-2009 North Carolina:A state Supreme Court decision on the length of a "life" sentence may force the state to release 20 violent offenders this month.Earlier this month, the state Supreme Court upheld a decision in the case of Bobby Bowden, who was convicted of two murders, the Associated Press reported...
GA- Lawsuit filed against SOAPnet over use of Barrios' photo
Posted on October 15, 200910-15-2009 Georgia:BRUNSWICK, Ga. ? The father and grandmother of slain 6-year-old Christopher Michael Barrios Jr. think his photograph was used as prop on a cable television soap opera as the result of a ?sick, demented and cruel? prank by an as yet unknown person, their lawyer said Wednesday...
MD- Case raises sex offender law doubts
Posted on October 15, 200910-15-2009 Maryland:Woman resurfaced in California after 18 yearsThe name, address, job information and photograph of each of the 6,291 sex offenders living in Maryland are listed in an online searchable database available to the public.Fifty-two of those offenders are being tracked using GPS technology...
CA- First pic of kidnap survivor Jaycee Dugard, 'I'm so happy'
Posted on October 15, 200910-15-2009 California:She was gone for 18 years and no one truly knows or understands what she went through at the hands of a convicted sex offender.But kidnap survivor Jaycee Dugard has an amazing attitude along with her stunning life story."I'm so happy to be back with my family," she told People...
CA- Parolees say they were directed to homeless encampment by their parole officers
Posted on October 15, 200910-15-2009 California:Parolees ordered to leave by 5 a.m. today, before camp's disbandment next monthWhen 40-year-old Rodney Acevedo was released from state prison in July, the parolee said, he was given two options for housing in the area.A convicted sex offender who had also served time for battery on a police officer, Acevedo tried making the first option work...
IN- Elkhart mom wants sex offenders out of Halloween fun
Posted on October 15, 2009A U.S. Department of Justice study shows that 97% + of new sex crimes against minors are committed by family, friends and acquaintances of minors (see chart below). Think carefully, avoiding homes of former sex offenders causes you to place your child at the very homes of people who are MOST LIKELY to commit a sex offense with a child, family, friends and acquaintances...
FL- Sheriff: Prisoner Used Shoestring To Strangle Cellmate
Posted on October 14, 200910-14-2009 Florida:Detectives Say Victim's Cellmate Called Him 'Pervert'INDIANTOWN, Fla. -- A 29-year-old prisoner at the Martin Correctional Institution used a shoestring to strangle his cellmate because he was "a pervert," according to an arrest affidavit...
Woman chops off head of alleged attacker
Posted on October 14, 200910-17-2008 India:A woman, armed with a sickle, beheaded a man who allegedly tried to attack her and then paraded the head through a market in northern India, police said Friday. Police arrested the woman late Thursday after receiving calls from frightened witnesses who reported a blood-soaked woman holding a severed head was walking through the village, said police officer Ram Bharose...
OH- Coroner: Suspected Rapist Died From Gunshot Wounds
Posted on July 10, 20097-10-2009 Ohio:COLUMBUS, Ohio ? A suspected serial rapist from Los Angeles died after being shot several times by police officers along Interstate 70 earlier this week, the Fairfield County Coroner ruled Thursday.According to the coroner, Abram Bynum died after suffering gunshot wounds to his head, trunk and extremities, 10TV's Lindsey Seavert reported...
IN- CPD says rape e-mail is untrue
Posted on July 10, 20097-10-2009 Indiana:An e-mail circulating the Internet that warns about an alleged rape in the parking lot of a west-side Columbus business has been discredited by police.Columbus Police Department believes the e-mail is related to a report received Monday alleging a rape in the parking lot in the 2000 block of Merchants Mile...
TN- KKK Recruiting with Sex Offender Flyers
Posted on July 10, 20097-10-2009 Tennessee:MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Some Olive Branch residents are outraged about flyers, littering their yards.The flyers warned of a convicted sex offender, living in the neighborhood, but they were distributed by a group with a racist, violent history toward Jews and blacks...
IN- Sex offender ID law misapplied, higher court says
Posted on July 10, 20097-10-2009 Indiana:Enhancements to Indiana's Sex and Violent Offender Registry that took effect on July 1, 2006, are continuing to cause snarls for law enforcement.The Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed two convictions against a Lafayette man who assumed a dead man's identity -- allegedly to avoid being listed on the state's sex offender registry...
Pelosi Slams Door on Jackson Resolution
Posted on July 10, 2009Is this further proof that some in Congress have no respect for the principle "innocent until proven guilty" I guess that goes along with their disrespect for the "ex post facto" clause. Further, Congress recognizes many for less contributions to society than Michael Jackson demonstrated throughout his life...
MA- WENDY MURPHY: Convicts shouldn?t expect ?privacy? rights
Posted on July 10, 20097-10-2009 Massachusetts:The ACLU in Massachusetts has been scaring people with a fear-mongering claim that cops are violating CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) laws by searching through the state?s criminal records database to see whether certain celebrities have rap sheets...
NY- Sex Offender Assessment Tool Held Inadmissible
Posted on July 10, 20097-10-2009 New York:A recent decision out of New York holds the Static-99, a common actuarial measure of sex offender recidivism, as inadmissible under Frye. In State v. Rosado, 2009 NY Slip Op 29290 , Judge Riviezzo holds: In the immediate case, respondent's STATIC-99 score of "4" is considered to be a medium-high risk of reoffending...
SD- Loopholes closed in sex-offender registry
Posted on July 09, 2009This makes no sense whatsoever!7-9-2009 South Dakota:PIERRE ? A new state law expands the circumstances when sex offenders must list themselves on South Dakota?s sex-offender registry. Now they must sign up if they obtain a driver license, license a motor vehicle, get a postal address or register to vote in South Dakota...
IN- Prison Visits Go ?Pay-Per-View?
Posted on July 09, 20097-9-2009 Indiana:Candace McCann, an inmate at the Rockville Correctional Facility in Rockville, Ind., talks to her aunt from her prison unit.MIAMI (CBS/AP) There?s still no place like home, but for the prison population, "being there" on the Web is becoming the next best thing...
OR- Clackamas teen faces charges in scheme to extort nude pictures
Posted on July 09, 20097-9-2009 Oregon:A 16-year-old Clackamas boy is accused of taking over the MySpace and Facebook pages of two female college students and threatening not to relinquish control unless they sent him nude photographs of themselves.An Oregon State Police trooper based at Oregon State University investigated the case...
IN- South Bend father charged in shooting of daughter's boyfriend
Posted on July 09, 20097-9-2009 Indiana:SOUTH BEND ? A 61-year-old man accused of shooting at his daughter's boyfriend after catching him partially undressed in his home has been charged in the incident.Michael Falls is facing two counts of criminal recklessness, Class D felonies, following the events that took place at his house in the 60100 block of Cedar Road...
NY- Police: Dad sets up registered sex offender
Posted on July 09, 20097-9-2009 New York:GLENS FALLS -- A registered sex offender who tried to set up a meeting with a 15-year-old girl behind a bar in the middle of the night was arrested late Wednesday after the girl's father intercepted the text message he sent the teen, police said...
FL- A fading oasis for sex offenders in Broward County
Posted on July 09, 2009Any reasonable review of just the maps shows, that the intent is BANISHMENT as both a residency laws and proximity laws protects ONLY those WITHIN the protected place (i.e., school, day care, playground, etc.) and overwhelming studies show, those places ARE NOT where over 93% of kids are sexually abused...
MI- Michigan Man sentenced to 1-20 years in prison for Internet crime in underage sex sting
Posted on July 09, 20097-9-2009 Michigan: Phase-IGRAND RAPIDS -- Another of the 20 men swept up in an undercover police sting that set up men who allegedly were seeking underage sex was sentenced to one to 20 years behind bars.____, 29, pleaded guilty in May to using a computer and the Internet to commit a crime...
FL- Lawsuits Fly Over Sex Offenders' Encampment
Posted on July 09, 2009Click to read lawsuit:7-9-2009 Florida:Miami Sues State To Clear Out Camp By The BayACLU Sues County Over "Not In My Back Yard" OrdinanceHard by world-famous Biscayne Bay, scores of convicted sex offenders live beneath the bulkheads and along the grassy shoulders of the Julia Tuttle causeway, one of the main gateways to Miami Beach...
FL- Sex offenders could live in industrial zones, Broward County task force suggests
Posted on July 09, 20097-9-2009 Florida:FORT LAUDERDALE ? A Broward task force studying the problem of where convicted sex offenders can live once they are released from prison has recommended that the county study the possibility of establishing special residential exceptions in industrial zones...
GA- Woman in center of sex registry debate arrested on drug charges
Posted on July 09, 2009Now we see the results of putting registrants under severe stress with these useless sex offender laws! Every human being has a breaking point, unfortunately drugs give a person a temporary haven from stress, but long term is no answer, yet what can these folks do to relieve the stress?7-9-2009 Georgia:A Harlem woman who was the focus of a Georgia's sex offender registry law was arrested
FL- Miami-Dade sued over sex-offender housing law
Posted on July 09, 20097-9-2009 Florida:The ACLU of Florida on Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging a Miami-Dade County ordinance that attempts to remove homeless sex offenders who live under the Julia Tuttle Causeway.The county's 2,500-foot residency restriction conflicts with state law, which makes it unlawful for convicted sex offenders to live within 1,000 feet of a school, day-care center, park or playground,
IL- Can sex offenders live in county home? Yes
Posted on July 08, 20097-7-2009 Illinois:The male resident who molested 10 female residents earlier this year at the La Salle County Nursing Home is no longer there, having been taken to an unidentified psychiatric facility.However, according to records, a registered sex offender lives in the county home...
The Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act and DOC Placement of Folks Under Bridges
Posted on July 08, 20097-7-2009 Florida:A educational walk through the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act.In Florida right now there are over 75 men and one woman living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway bridge. The majority of them have been told by the Florida Department of Corrections, Parole or Probation Division, that the is where they must live; key "told where they must live...
NJ- Millville repealing sex offender law
Posted on July 08, 20097-8-2009 New Jersey: MILLVILLE - City commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the first step toward repealing its long-suspended sex offender residency restriction law following a New Jersey Supreme Court decision in May striking down local ordinances that attempt to regulate where convicted sex offenders can live once released from incarceration...
IN- Ex-sex offender hopeful after residency ruling
Posted on July 08, 20097-8-2009 Indiana:Two summers ago, nearly 30 Tippecanoe County sex offenders who had victimized children received hand-delivered letters stating that they had to move or else be criminally charged with a Class D felony.The letters were in response to a statute, passed in 2006, prohibiting such sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, public park or youth program center...
MI- Release of Lansing sex sting police reports raises concerns about disclosure of HIV status
Posted on July 07, 20097-7-2009 Michigan:Critics say details of arrested man's health should have been redacted; unauthorized release of such information may be unlawfulLANSING ? Buried at the end of one of the arrest reports from a controversial May 22 sex-sting operation in the capital city?s Fenner Nature Center is information that one of the men arrested was HIV positive...
OK- Oklahoma Corrections Department lacks funding to help sex offenders
Posted on July 07, 20097-7-2009 Oklahoma:Inmates being released before getting treated, state officials saySex offenders are likely being released from Oklahoma prisons without any treatment to curb their criminal behavior, a state Corrections Department official says. Oklahoma only has space for 55 inmates in the treatment program for sex offenders, who number more than 3,000 in state prisons...
NY- Sex offender fights police visits
Posted on July 07, 2009This man is absolutely correct, there is nothing in state or federal law that permits home visits, the law requires the registrant to verify at predetermined intervals.7-7-2009 New York:In a case that could affect how closely sex offenders are monitored, a Town of Poughkeepsie man who allegedly paid a mother so he could have sex with her underage daughters in Manhattan may file a $100 million
OH- Update on law sought
Posted on July 07, 20097-7-2009 Ohio:Sex offenders subject of Senate debateWARREN - Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities could get official word if a sex offender moves into the home under new legislation introduced this month by State Sen. Capri Cafaro, D-Hubbard...
States struggle to comply with sex offender database
Posted on July 07, 2009Hopefully states struggle real hard because this law was written as though there never were any state laws or state constitutions to worry about. Effectively the Adam Walsh Act (written by a select few in Congress and a Secret Service Agent, passed under suspension of the rules with 20 or so present) tells states to ignore all state law and constitution except the fact that certain people were
NV- Detective Shot Suspect in the Back
Posted on July 07, 2009The original story is here, and the real witness' version:7-7-2009 Nevada:The Clark County Coroner's Office is correcting the cause of death in the shooting death of a suspected child molester.Police say 32-year-old John Paul Hambleton ran and fought with 30-year-old Officer Jeremy Hendricks as Hendricks tried to arrest him...
KY- Prosecutors in Child Pornography Case to Seize Residence
Posted on July 07, 20097-7-2009 Kentucky:Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Kentucky don't just want to put Joseph Robert Leitner in prison for years. The federal government wants his house.Leitner, 62, pleaded guilty last week to charges that he possessed more than 30,000 images of child pornography, and he agreed to give up his home in the Chevy Chase subdivision of Lexington, court records show...
Should Minors Ever Face Life Without Parole?
Posted on July 07, 20097-7-2009 National:Four years ago the high court decided no minor should face the death penalty. Now it's poised to determine if youths should face life without a chance of parole.The Supreme Court's 2005 decision in Roper v. Simmons struck down the death penalty for juveniles, citing the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment...
CA- Murphy's Law: Bad legislation comes back to haunt author
Posted on July 06, 20097-6-2009 California:Sometimes bad laws have a way of coming back to bite the people most responsible for enacting them. That's the case with state Sen. George Runner, the principal sponsor of Proposition 83, the 2006 initiative popularly known as Jessica's Law, which voters approved overwhelmingly...
FL- Child porn's dirty secret: Dads often behind lens
Posted on July 06, 20097-6-2009 Florida:TAMPA - He told his young daughter he was going to make her a model.He shot pictures of her in skimpier and skimpier outfits.And when she slept, the Tampa man photographed himself molesting her.He created a Web site, charging strangers to view graphic photos of his daughter...
NJ- Acquitted in court, Edison man faces new challenges as he rebuilds his life
Posted on July 06, 20097-6-2009 New Jersey:Bruce Nealous knew he wasn't guilty.His wife, children and friends believed he wasn't guilty.Perhaps most importantly, a jury believed it, too.But nearly a month after Nealous walked free from a Middlesex County courtroom -- vindicated in theory -- the 48-year-old Edison man is finding it difficult to repair a life that's come undone and a reputation in tatters...
Why a Bill of Rights?
Posted on July 06, 2009There is nothing wrong with the constitution as conceived, the Bill of Rights being part of it, the problem today is, those who read it with in ways that pervert it. The sad thing is, we all elected them...7-6-2009 National:Why did the founders of our nation give us the Bill of Rights? The answer is easy...
Pornography outlawed in Ukraine, unless it's ?medicinal?
Posted on July 06, 20097-6-2009 Ukraine:Possession of pornography is now a criminal offense in Ukraine, Lenta.ru reports, after Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a law to that effect today. Human rights activists and members of the Ukrainian artistic community had asked the president to veto the law...
FL- Broward's Solution To The Tuttle Causeway Condundrum
Posted on July 06, 20097-6-2009 Florida:The task force assigned to sort through the difficulties associated with the myriad of sex offender residence restrictions and offer up recommendations for the Broward County Commission has released a draft of its findings. It's a thoughtful compilation that ought to resonate beyond Broward and into Miami-Dade County, where overreaching statutes have created the homeless mess
IL- A lurid past and a looming law limits teen sex offender's future
Posted on July 05, 20097-5-2009 Illinois:Teen sex offender who turned his life around finds his crime hard to shake -- and a federal law could make it even harderTim is 19, freshly graduated from high school, and like many people his age he's nervous about leaving home. He's not quite sure where he will go, what he will do -- or if the secret he has guarded for much of his life will be exposed...
OH- Judge hears first sex offender to offer challenge
Posted on July 05, 20097-5-2009 Ohio:LISBON - The first sex offender to challenge new classification requirements last year finally had his case heard by a judge, who said he should be designated Tier I, the level with the least requirements.Brendan McClaskey, who lived in the Salem when he filed his case, received notification from the state in December 2007 that he was being reclassified as a sexual oriented
CA- Banks must disclose facts that affect their properties
Posted on July 05, 20097-5-2009 California:QUESTION: I'm purchasing a bank-owned property (REO). What are the seller (bank) obligations regarding disclosure requirements for REO sales?ANSWER: Although banks that acquire a property through foreclosure may be exempt from certain California requirements, such as the Transfer Disclosure Statement, they are not automatically exempt from all other disclosures...
VT- State sex registry change spurs objections
Posted on July 05, 2009A logical thought, if the state is retroactively applying this law to include xx more former offenders, then I guess the TERM of the registry should be calculated from the date of conviction, and not from the date this law was enacted. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander, right? EX: If the term is 15 years on the registry, and the conviction was 20 years ago, then that person is not
NE- Posters Hung Falsely Identifying Man as Sex Offender
Posted on July 05, 2009Someone gets mad at another person and then calls them a "sex offender" because they know that label will inflict harm on that person in every facet of their life.On the sex offender registry is this warning:"Sex offender registry information shall not be used to retaliate against the registrants, their families, or their employers in any way...
NY- Woman accused of targeting girl, 9, with Craigslist ad
Posted on July 05, 2009This should be a felony! Given that she placed a child at risk there is no doubt in my mind that she belongs on the state's "central registry" a registry of those who have placed children in harms way!Further, look close at the pic, why does Craigslist not show the age of the POSTER of the ad? There is a place for it...
NY- Study could ease concerns over hiring ex-offenders
Posted on July 05, 2009See Carnegie Mellon info (and contact person) about the study below the USA Today news article. Also, while I am quite sure the result of the study would also be applicable to sex offenders, they are exempted from the Second Chance Act. However, if sex offenders had this study it is likely it would help them convince a potential employer to hire them...
In Prisoners? Wake, a Tide of Troubled Kids
Posted on July 05, 20097-6-2009 National:WASHINGTON ? Herbert Rashad Scott, whose parents were in and out of prison throughout his childhood, vowed to break his family?s cycle of self-destruction.The circumstances were not promising. Mr. Scott, 20, was awaiting sentencing for drug possession and robbery, but he was allowed supervised release from jail in May to attend a job preparation class ? a chance to turn his
PA- Court suggests lawmakers address Megan's Law loophole for homeless
Posted on July 05, 2009The journalist claims, in two cases of homeless offenders where neither while homeless committed any offense whatsoever, were charged with failure to register and the courts holding that, due to the wording of the law they did not have to register. It seems to be that the legislature's silence screams that there is no public safety issue under these circumstances and therefore no change is
OR- Center angers 4-H Club parents
Posted on July 05, 2009Absolute proof that the public is not capable of making decisions that is best for all concerned. The public is too biased and full of irrational prejudices.7-5-2009 Oregon:A treatment program for sex offenders has been next to the local youth office for 15 yearsThe Lane County sex offender treatment center has been located on West 13th Avenue for 15 years...
MI- Barbara Levine: Learn the facts about parole process
Posted on July 05, 20097-5-2009 Michigan:With controversial prison closures nearing and more prisoners being released, Derek Melot's June 30 column addressed the importance of telling the public who is being paroled. It noted the Oakland County prosecutor's request for a list of prisoners who will be considered this year...
IL- Man target of fake sex offender flier
Posted on July 05, 2009Someone gets mad at another person and then calls them a "sex offender" because they know that label will inflict harm on that person in every facet of their life. This is similar to the Nebraska case this week!7-5-2009 Illinois:GENEVA, Ill. - A flier distributed in this western suburb of Chicago calls a real estate agent a sex offender when the man actually has no criminal record, authorities
How to React to Exhibitionists and Indecent Exposure
Posted on July 04, 20097-4-2009 Global:Are Flashers Dangerous?You are out for a walk or run and ahead of you on the path is a man. As you approach, you notice he is displaying his genitals. How should a walker or jogger react when a man commits indecent exposure towards them? Are exhibitionists dangerous? What is the Difference Between a Nudist and an Exhibitionist?"Nudists and exhibitionists are totally different
IA- Clarity sought on sex offenders New rules may go unenforced until after an explanatory conference.
Posted on July 04, 20097-4-2009 Iowa:Confusion clouds Iowa?s new restrictions on registered sex offenders just days before they take effect Wednesday.The new rules include exclusionary zones limiting where registered sex offenders can go and alterations to Iowa?s 2,000-foot residency restriction, among other changes...
IN- Ind. Supreme court finds residency law not retroactive
Posted on July 04, 20097-4-2009 Indiana:INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Supreme Court says convicted sex offenders need not relocate if they resided near places frequented by children before a 2006 state law that restricts where they live.The court ruled this week that the law violates the Indiana constitution by retroactively punishing ____ of Blackford County...
LA- JPSO investigating River Ridge murder
Posted on July 03, 20097-3-2009 Louisiana:NEW ORLEANS ? Jefferson Parish Sheriff?s Officers are investigating the early morning murder of a man in River Ridge after responding to a call of subject shot. Sheriff Newell Normand said officers found Anthony E. Paul, 23, shot several times in the 500 block of Richard Street in River Ridge at about 1:30 a...
IL- Same Story, Different Day: Another Teen Suicide Associated with Bullying
Posted on July 03, 20097-3-2009 National - Illinois:From Cyberbullying Blog:Another story has surfaced where a teen committed suicide after experiencing bullying. The Chicago Tribune reports that Iain Steele, a 15-year-old boy from a western suburb of Chicago, hung himself in the basement of his home...
Convictions against Lori Drew overturned today; case dismissed
Posted on July 03, 2009I agree with the judge about the law being misapplied, however, let no one forget this woman is responsible for the death of a child. Accordingly, it is hoped that she will be placed on every state's "Central Registry" so that every state's Child Protective's Service is notified of her past...
CA- Haylee headed to foster care upon her return
Posted on July 03, 2009As I thought Haylee would: 7-3-2009 California:MANSFIELD ? Haylee Donathan will be placed with a foster family ? not with her grandmother ? when she returns from California.The 4-year-old has been at the Polinsky Children?s Center in San Diego since June 23, when her mother, Candace Watson, and her mother?s fugitive sex offender boyfriend, Robbi Potter, were arrested...
VT- Brooke Bennett: One Year Later, Part 1
Posted on July 03, 20097-3-2009 Vermont:A massive search for 12-year-old Brooke Bennett was underway one year ago this week. That search eventually led local police and the FBI to Michael Jacques, and a shallow grave a mile and a half from his home. One year later the man accused of killing Brooke Bennett is in a federal prison while he and Bennett's family wait for his trial to begin...
FL- Sexual Predator Assigned to Live Under a Bridge (A NEW BRIDGE)
Posted on July 03, 2009One day and he went back to prison because he couldn't get back to the bridge in time for curfew! Check DOC comment "No other sex offenders are living under bridges." Someone is not well informed!7-3-2009 Florida:See the video.PUTNAM COUNTY, FLORIDA -- The view couldn't be better...
VA- Underbelly: Sex Offender Registration in Virginia
Posted on July 03, 20097-3-2009 Virginia:Those Among UsWe know their names, ages, addresses and faces. They live and work among us. Registered sex offenders are a part of the Loudoun County community, whether we know about it or not. We know their names, ages, addresses and faces...
VT- Brooke Bennett: One Year Later, Part 3
Posted on July 03, 20097-3-2009 Vermont:July 2 marks exactly one year since investigators found the body of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett buried in a shallow grave in Randolph. News of her murder came as a devastating shock to her family who held out hope during the one week search that she would be found alive...
NV- Vegas Detective Kills Accused Child Molester
Posted on July 03, 20097-3-2009 Nevada:Man Suspected Of Child Sex Abuse, Domestic Violence, Metro SaysLAS VEGAS -- A child-molestation suspect was shot and killed by a Las Vegas Metro detective on Wednesday.The shooting occurred just before 1 p.m. near North Rancho Drive and West Alexander Road...
FL- Sex offender murdered, $1,000 reward
Posted on July 03, 2009See earlier report:7-3-2009 Florida:A Tampa Bay registered sex offender was murdered on June 13, 2009. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspects. Walter George Patey was 54 years old when his body was located near N...
AR- Court: Failing to register as sex offender can?t be punished with restitution
Posted on July 02, 20097-2-2009 Arkansas:LITTLE ROCK ? Failing to comply with reporting requirements for sex offenders is not an offense that can be punished with an order of restitution, the state Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.The court reversed a Sebastian County circuit judge?s decision to revoke the suspended sentence of Keith Owens, who pleaded no contest in June 2001 to failing to comply with the Sex and
MI- Mistakenly released sex offenders back in custody
Posted on July 02, 2009Michigan is a state full of fools all working for the DOC! How difficult is it for a Parole Officer to tell a parolee, hey instead of going to Program A you will go to Program B. Instead of following a logical procedure, they reincarcerate the parolees to simply tell them the same thing, but now they have to go through all the paperwork of releasing them back into the community...
RI- Sex-offender bills stall in R.I. Assembly
Posted on July 02, 20097-2-2009 Rhode Island:PROVIDENCE ?? Lawmakers introduced at least 14 bills dealing with sex offenders this session. With the General Assembly in recess, five have made it through either the House or Senate, but not both.To reach the governor, the proposals hinge on whether the House and Senate reconvene ?? and what their sessions encompass ?? this month or next...
VT- Brooke Bennett: One Year Later Part 2
Posted on July 02, 20097-2-2009 Vermont:Starting today 12-hundred new sex offenders will be part of the Vermont sex offender registry. The addition is just part of the massive statewide reform effort that came about in the wake of Brooke Bennett's murder. Word that Bennett's suspected killer is also a convicted sex offender who was released from probation early, prompted calls for immediate review of Vermont laws.
FL- Homeless sex offenders creating problems
Posted on July 02, 2009The very first thing to remember, as to those sex offenders who are on parole or probation and have been told to live under the bridge, there is a resolve to this dilemma. This place under the bridge is a "facility" of the parole and probation department (Owned by the state), a place they send such folks to live in...
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE FOLKS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!
Posted on July 02, 20097-2-2009 National:First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints...
PA- [ Former Perverted Justice ] computer programmer accused of attempting to bring down websites that ridiculed him
Posted on July 01, 20096-30-2009 Pennsylvania:NEWARK -- A computer programmer was charged in federal court today with trying to cripple nine websites, including RollingStone.com, that posted articles about him being duped into meeting a fictitious woman he met online. Bruce Raisley, 47, of Monaca, Pa...
VT- Court issues injunction against Barre
Posted on July 01, 20097-1-2009 Vermont:A judge has blocked Barre from enforcing an ordinance that would have required a convicted sex offender and his family to move.____, 29, had been ordered by city officials to move under an ordinance passed last year that blocks convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools or other places children gather...
MO- Necessary sex offender list fails test of balanced justice
Posted on July 01, 20097-1-2009 Missouri:The symbol most often seen on law offices and court houses is an image of a set of balanced scales. What we want from our penal system is justice, balanced justice, in which we can reliably believe that the punishment fits the crime...
ME- Maine State Prison Comes Under Legislative Scrutiny
Posted on July 01, 20097-1-2009 Maine:Over the past year, the Maine State Prison has been the scene of a murder (Sex Offender Sheldon Weinstein, 64, from New Hartford, N.Y), a hunger strike and a hostage crisis that have frayed nerves at the 900-inmate facility in Warren. Besides pitting prisoners against corrections officers, the incidents have also increased tensions between the admininistration and staff...
IL- Judge Posner's Proposal: Save a Newspaper, Kill a Blog
Posted on July 01, 20097-1-2009 Illinois 7th Cir Judge:Sure, the newspaper industry is in trouble. But not even old-guard media companies have proposed as extreme a remedy as what Judge Richard Posner recommends. In a recent blog post, Posner proposed barring online links to copyrighted materials without the consent of the copyright owners as a way to help revive the failing newspaper business...
MI- Ypsilanti Township man shot by deputy had threatened parents, was facing trial on rape charge
Posted on July 01, 20097-1-2009 Michigan:When Uvon Bevins petitioned a Washtenaw County court for a personal protection order against her adult son in late 2000, she feared for her life."Last night he yelled all night that he was going to kill me today," Bevins, who also used the name Yvonne, wrote in a hand-written note attached to a court filing seeking a personal protection order for herself and her husband...
WA- 1 of 2 car prowlers answers nature's call in patrol car
Posted on July 01, 2009Will they be declared sex offenders?7-1-2009 Washington:MOUNTLAKE TERRACE ? Call it an escape of sorts.The men were in handcuffs and seated in the back of a Mountlake Terrace patrol car early this morning, Mountlake Terrace police Sgt. Doug Hansen said...
OH- "[P]olice may not stop an individual for the sole purpose of compelling him to identify himself"
Posted on July 01, 20097-1-2009 Ohio:"[P]olice may not stop an individual for the sole purpose of compelling him to identify himself." State v. Holly, 2009 Ohio 3081, 2009 Ohio App. LEXIS 2604 (8th Dist. June 25, 2009):[*P15] Applying these principles, we find that the investigatory stop of Holly was unlawful...
DC- Unconstitutional Strip Search Does Not Strip School Officials of Qualified Immunity
Posted on July 01, 20097-1-2009 Washington DC:The United States Supreme Court ruled in Safford Unified School District #1, et al. v. Redding that a school official's search of a thirteen-year-old student's bra and underpants violated her Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches...
MI- Out-of-state inmates on the way to Michigan?
Posted on July 01, 2009Hopefully whoever is making the Michigan decision on this issue, is reading about the terrible gang problems and riots that California has had in its prisons.7-1-2009 Michigan:Calif., Alaska prisoners could help save jobsLANSING -- Michigan may not be able to afford to keep all of its own criminals behind bars, but the state apparently is ready to take inmates from elsewhere for the right
IA- Advice for schools on new sex offender rules
Posted on July 01, 20097-1-2009 Iowa:Attorneys with the Iowa Association of School Boards are issuing advice to schools about complying with a new law that goes into effect tomorrow. Anyone on the sex offender registry must have written permission to be on school grounds, or they can be charged with loitering...
FL- More Sex Offenders Move Under Bridge
Posted on July 01, 2009There very well may be an answer to this one which has not been tried up to this point; tomorrow I will reveal that after a bit of research.7-1-2009 Florida:Controversy Over Shantytown ContinuesMIAMI -- The controversy over a shantytown under the Julia Tuttle Causeway is growing more heated as an increasing number of paroled sex offenders are moving in, barred from living elsewhere by housing
FL- CRUEL AND UNUSUAL: HOUSE ARREST WITHOUT A HOUSE
Posted on July 01, 2009Hopefully they will not charge him for his choice to spend time in the jail...7-1-2009 Florida:Today's travesty comes in the form of one ____, courtesy of the Florida Legislature.Mr. ____ was released from Florida State Prison on June 23rd, after serving roughly seven years on a sex offense...
A Lesson in Recidivism Research
Posted on July 01, 2009This snippet points out just two of the many ways alleged study outcomes can be manipulated to give the appearance of whatever the speaker wants to support: LOW or HIGH recidivism, it depends on who is citing the study and what their chosen focus is. Our thanks to Crime and Consequences for this insight...
TX- Gov. Rick Perry vetoes bill lifting sex offenders 21, younger from registry
Posted on June 30, 20096-30-2009 Texas:AUSTIN -- Aaron Jernigan had just started college at age 18 and was planning a career as a music teacher when he met a girl at a party and his whole world changed.Now 25, Jernigan finished a four-year prison sentence instead of a four-year degree...
IA- Parole officers brace for increase in sex offenders being released
Posted on June 30, 20096-30-2009 Iowa:Iowa parole officers are bracing for a dramatic increase in the number of sex offenders who're under supervision after being released from prison. In 2005, the Iowa Legislature voted to require lifetime supervision for the most dangerous sex offenders and ten years of parole for those who commit lesser sex crimes...
Teens Who Think They'll Die Young Take More Risks
Posted on June 30, 20096-30-2009 National:Teenagers tend to wildly overestimate the odds of dying young, and teenagers who think they'll be dead before age 35 are far more likely to abuse drugs, attempt suicide, get arrested, or contract HIV. Scientists have known for quite a while that teenagers tend to think that an early death is much more likely than the infinitesimally small risk it really is...
MA- The heat?s on ice cream truck vendors
Posted on June 30, 20096-30-2009 Massachusetts:Pol proposes background checks to weed out pervsWe all scream for ice cream, but lawmakers want to ensure no one?s yelling about who?s driving the ice cream trucks this summer.State Sen. Michael R. Knapik is proposing to outlaw convicted sex offenders from manning ice cream trucks - incredibly, a rarity nationwide...
OH- Sex offender?s house can be demolished before trial, judge says
Posted on June 30, 20096-30-2009 Ohio:TROY ? What remains of James H. Clay?s home on Troy-Sidney Road can be demolished before the former Troy Christian Schools coach is tried on a felony aggravated arson charge, but not until a photographer for the defense videotapes or takes still photos of the property, a Miami County judge ruled Monday, June 29...
Cyberbullying and Sexting Topics of Discussion at Cox?s Annual Teen Summit in DC
Posted on June 30, 2009Link to Cox Communication's slide presentation: Cyberbullying Fact Sheet from Cyberbullying.us blog:6-30-2009 National:Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When ?think before you click? becomes as vital a lesson as ?look before you leap,? it is clear that measures must be taken to create a safer cyber world for society?s youth...
AZ- "I cut him up with an ax, put him in garbage bags"
Posted on June 30, 2009Assuming the truth of his claims this is a terrible case on multiple levels without the historical claims of killing child molesters and others.6-30-2009 Arizona:A Texas man is accused of killing three Tucson area residents. Michael Carlson is charged with first degree murder for the death of his sister...
Ohio court declares sex offender law a violation of the "Separations of Powers" clause and unconstitutional
Posted on June 30, 20096-30-2009 Ohio:The 11th Appellate Dist court of Ohio has found the changes made by Senate bill 10 (made according to the Adam Walsh Act) unconstitutional in the case of Spangler v. State, 2009-Ohio-3178. Opinion issued 6-30-2009 which goes as follows:Appellant, Raymond J...
VT- City loses in sex offender case
Posted on June 30, 20096-30-2009 Vermont:MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A judge has blocked the city of Barre from enforcing an ordinance that would have required a convicted sex offender to move.Twenty-9-year-old Chris Hagan had been ordered by city officials to move under a new ordinance passed last year that blocks convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools or other places children gather...
Summary of Bills in 111th Congress - Affecting Sex Offenders
Posted on June 28, 2009National:This is a summary page of all bills in Congress affecting (directly or collaterally) registered sex offenders or their families, and is updated as needed. Clicking on the bill number will take you to a bill analysis and full access to the bill itself and current status...
ND- Trailer to house ND homeless sex offenders on parole
Posted on June 28, 20096-26-2009 North Dakota:BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) ? Prison officials say a mobile home just east of the state penitentiary in Bismarck will be ready next week for up to seven homeless sex offenders. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) ? Prison officials say a mobile home just east of the state penitentiary in Bismarck will be ready next week for up to seven homeless sex offenders...
VT- Do Offender Registries Protect the Public?
Posted on June 28, 2009Registries are nothing more than a psychological tool to make the public feel safe; a political tool. However, given the tons of money spent on them they have to be justified by those who make their money from them.6-26-2009 Vermont:Vermont and every other state now offer online sex offender registries that include photos and other information about convicted sex offenders...
IA- Sex offenders look forward to end of exile
Posted on June 28, 20096-28-2009 Iowa:CEDAR RAPIDS ? Doug Bruce?s exile will soon be over.For three years, the convicted sex offender has been living in a room at the Ced-Rel Motel on Highway 30. The low, red-and-white building 4 miles west of Cedar Rapids has become a haven for those convicted of sex crimes in the years since the Iowa Sex Offender Registry was established in 1995...
PA- State court rules homeless sexual offenders don't have to register residence under Megan's Law
Posted on June 27, 20096-27-2009 Pennsylvania:A state Superior Court panel ruled Friday that convicted sexual offenders cannot be held subject to Megan's Law registration requirements if they are homeless.In upholding a Dauphin County judge, the state appellate court found that William H...
The Haylee Donathan case: Was she in real danger
Posted on June 26, 20096-26-2009 National:Do you remember Haylee Donathan story?Well, thats the one where a 4-year-old (Haylee) vanished with her mom (Candace Watson) 3 or so weeks ago. Apparently they took a jaunt across the nation to California with a fellow named Robbi Potter who turned out to be a registered sex offender out of Ohio...
Sexting common among teens
Posted on June 25, 20096-25-2009 National:SALT LAKE CITY -- A surprising new report estimates teens are "sexting" far more than first thought. The survey, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Cox Communications, found one in five teens has sexted-meaning sent suggestive, nude or nearly-nude photos of themselves over e-mail or cell phone to someone else...
WI- Out of the Shadows, Part 3: Confronting sex crimes in our community
Posted on June 25, 20096-25-2009 WIsconsin:Team work: Compliance officers keep close tabs on local offendersEven sex offenders need a place to call home.Nichole Hall, Wisconsin Department of Corrections sex offender registry specialist for Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties, defines sex offenders? successful reintegration into society in just three words: ?No more victims...
KY- New Kentucky laws go into effect today
Posted on June 25, 20096-25-2009 Kentucky:HENDERSON, Ky. ? More than 100 bills passed by the General Assembly this spring will go into effect today, doing such things as requiring criminal background checks for members of school site-based councils and workers for home health agencies...
MI- Oakland prosecutor sues state over list of felons planned for release
Posted on June 25, 20096-25-2009 Michigan:Pontiac -- The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office is suing the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) for a list of state felons scheduled for potential early release this October. The 27-page lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Oakland Circuit Court, said the prosecutor's office has been rebuffed several times -- both informally and pursuant to the Michigan Freedom of Information
AZ- VICTORY! Supreme Court Finds Strip-Search of 13-Year Old Girl Unconstitutional
Posted on June 25, 20096-25-2009 Arizona:The Supreme Court today ruled that school officials violated the constitutional rights of a 13-year-old Arizona girl when they strip searched her based on a classmate?s uncorroborated accusation that she previously possessed ibuprofen...
IN- Jeffersonville offender ordinance could be headed to Indiana Supreme Court
Posted on June 25, 20096-25-2009 Indiana:Councilman Keith Fetz says minor changes in ordinance possibleThe Jeffersonville City Council will ask the Indiana Supreme Court to reverse a Court of Appeals decision allowing convicted sex offender Eric Dowdell in city parks.The council hopes the court will rule on its case simultaneously with a Plainfield case, according to Councilman Keith Fetz...
WI- Out of the Shadows, Part 4: Confronting sex crimes in our community
Posted on June 25, 20096-25-2009 Wisconsin:Age of Consent: Laws on teen relationships contradictory, confusingWith love can come criminal consequences.In Wisconsin, 17-year-olds are tried as adults in the court system. If a 17-year-old is in a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 16, he or she not only could spend time behind bars but also be labeled as a sex offender for life...
Panel Sets Guidelines For Fighting Prison Rape
Posted on June 24, 2009With links to the actual study and summary:6-24-2009 National:Nearly six years after President George W. Bush signed legislation to reduce prison rape, a blue-ribbon commission is calling on corrections officers to identify vulnerable inmates, offer better medical care and allow stricter monitoring of their facilities...
RI- House panel debates child molester legislation
Posted on June 24, 2009Absolute proof that lawmakers enact laws based on myths which serves only a political purpose. As the ACLU points out, the politicians resolution is nonsense, that is not how crimes are committed. That is the problem with lawmakers, year after year, session after session, they are stuck in cliche's and myths and they never solve the issue...
WI- Out of the Shadows, Part 2: Confronting sex crimes in our community
Posted on June 24, 20096-24-2009 WIsconsin:Recovery: 'One layer at a time'It took sexual abuse survivor Charlene Bille about 50 years to start loving life.The pain the Fond du Lac woman endured between the ages of 2 and 12 festered within her for years. It has taken the 60-year-old decades to heal to the point she is at today: assisting law enforcement with how to approach a victim and openly discussing abuse with
WI- Out of the Shadows, Part 1: Confronting sex crimes in our community
Posted on June 24, 20096-24-2009 Wisconsin:Bringing justice to perpetrators of child sexual assault is a process that can be filled with revelations, tears, torn families, in-depth investigation and prosecution.It is also a process that may never begin due to shame and confusion...
No State in Compliance with Adam Walsh Act as July Deadline Approaches
Posted on June 24, 2009The demise of the Adam Walsh Act began with its belief that all states should handle former sex offenders equally; simply not possible given the history of the United States and individual state laws. i.e., the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution. The fault is inherent in the law...
NC- Convicted sex offender doesn't have to register in NC
Posted on June 24, 20096-24-2009 NOrth Carolina:WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - A convicted sex offender from Colorado who was arrested earlier this month on unrelated charges does not have to register as a sex offender in North Carolina.Police say 41-year-old _____ moved to the area in 2006 from Colorado, where he was listed as a sex offender with a lengthy record...
Man shoots woman at crotch after he discovers her infamous male past
Posted on June 24, 2009This is ONE example, of many, of our new death classification category, death by "sexual circumstances."6-24-2009 Russia:The police of Russia?s Volgograd finished the investigation into the death of a woman who had been murdered by her common-law husband...
ME- New state law trumps local sex offender rules
Posted on June 24, 2009Now, this is interesting, state law trumps local law IF a local law is enacted! Think about that, state logic prevails when thoughtless local actions didn't care about the reality of what the local law actually did not accomplish, prevention...6-24-2009 Maine:WATERBORO (June 24, 2009): A new state law that establishes boundaries for convicted sex offenders overturns stricter ordinances in Lyman
NC- Accused molester shot by girl's mother
Posted on June 24, 20096-24-2009 North Carolina:LUMBERTON ? A 43-year-old Lumberton man who was shot following accusations that he molested a 7-year-old relative has been charged with the sexual offense.Ray Demery, of Trenton Drive, was apparently shot by the alleged victim?s mother, according to a sheriff?s report...
MI- Why is youth suicide rate in Michigan so high?
Posted on June 23, 20096-23-2009 Michigan:A Brighton boy's hanging death led to special legislation, but problem remainsOn a February evening in 2003, while his dad fixed dinner, 12-year-old Chase Edwards hanged himself in an upstairs bathroom.His father, Jeff Edwards of Brighton, said no one -- friends, family or teachers -- had realized Chase was not just a moody kid...
VT- 'Sexting' is thorny legal issue
Posted on June 23, 20096-23-2009 Vermont:The Vermont state Senate wasn't planning to address what has become known as "sexting" this session when lawmakers held a hearing on a proposed expansion of state sex-offender laws. But a mother testifying before the judiciary panel referred to the phenomenon, in which teens send suggestive videos or pictures of themselves to each other on cell phones...
CA- Los Angeles Stops DNA Testing On Sex Cases
Posted on June 23, 20096-23-2009 California:All L.A. DNA testing has been suspended by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on rape and sexual assault cases.The Los Angeles Times reports that L.A. DNA testing on thousands of rape and other sex-related crimes has been halted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as there is no more money to continue DNA testing in L...
Obamas' Recovery.gov Privacy Policy Changed Today
Posted on June 23, 20096-23-2009 Washington DC:I'm not sure how many folks visit Recovery.gov Obamas' site which explains all about things he is doing to revitalize America, but today there was a change made to their PRIVACY POLICY which folks may want to read.I've found a wonderful site which tracks changes in various policies of websites and to read the Recovery...
CA- California lawmaker arranges improper deal on parolees
Posted on June 23, 20096-23-2009 California:A California lawmaker (George Runner) arranged an improper deal with state corrections officials to stop an influx of parolees into his district 10 months before voters approved "Jessica's Law," the 2006 ballot measure he wrote to restrict where paroled sex offenders could live...
NV- Appeals court: ?Forcefully extracted? DNA violated man?s rights
Posted on June 23, 20096-23-2009 Nevada:CARSON CITY ? In a 2-1 decision, a federal appeals court has ruled that the constitutional rights of a person in the Las Vegas jail were violated when a law enforcement officer chained and forcibly took a DNA sample.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Metro Police Detective Dolphus Boucher, with the approval of Deputy District Attorney Elissa Luzaich ?forcefully extracted
TX- Gov. Perry Appoints Three to Council on Sex Offender Treatment
Posted on June 23, 20096-23-2009 Texas:AUSTIN ? Gov. Rick Perry has appointed three members to the Council on Sex Offender Treatment for terms to expire Feb. 1, 2015. The council develops and implements education policy concerning effective interventions and management of sex offenders...
CT- Blogger to appear in Conn. court
Posted on June 22, 20096-22-2009 Connecticut:WEST HARTFORD ? A blogger is due in a Connecticut courtroom to face a charge of inciting violence against state lawmakers.A judge is expected to arraign Harold "Hal" Turner of North Bergen, N.J., in Hartford Superior Court.The 47-year-old former radio talk show host, who now broadcasts commentary on his Web site, urged his blog readers earlier this month to "take up arms"
NH- Wife: My husband isn't a sex offender
Posted on June 22, 20096-22-2009 New Hampshire:'He doesn't touch little kids,' she saysFrank Singleton isn't a sex offender, his wife says. "He doesn't touch little kids," Elizabeth Kuhns said last week, sitting on her mother's doorstep in Northfield, smoking a cigarette. In the eyes of the law, however, Singleton is a sex offender who's required to register as one and currently imprisoned for failing to do so...
FL- EDITORIAL: Tough call, but right call
Posted on June 22, 20096-22-2009 Florida:Megan's Law was not meant for people like Virgil McCranie.This month, the 34-year-old Panama City Beach man asked the state's Clemency Board to pardon his sex-offender status so he "can give my children a life." The board, comprised of Gov...
FL- Miami's tent city for sex offenders
Posted on June 22, 2009More videos here thanks to Sex Offender Issues:6-22-2009 Florida:This article is an adaptation of a feature that was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Americana programme. Americana is broadcast at 1915 BST every Sunday on BBC Radio 4 FM.A Miami law is forcing many of the city's sex offenders to sleep rough under a bridge, reports Emilio San Pedro for the BBC's Americana programme...
IN- HARBESON: Sex offender law something to think about
Posted on June 22, 20096-22-2009 Indiana:Columnist says council, attorney piling mistake upon mistakeLast week, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against the city of Jeffersonville in a lawsuit concerning the ordinance banning sex offenders in government parks. According to the appeals court, the city improperly used the law to prohibit Eric Dowdell from watching his little boy play baseball, even though he was
MI- Woman lives in fear of rapist's release from prison
Posted on June 22, 2009Obviously the reporter tells this story to get an effect from readers; sensationalizing. It is clear that the woman is still living the horror of the crime and I wonder if she has had any therapy to help her with those feelings. Now, the reporter is at fault here because ONLY one side of a story is told, no interview with any Parole Board member to see why they would have paroled this man,
NY- New York state central register on child abuse and neglect seriously flawed
Posted on June 22, 20096-22-2009 New York:Almost everyone knows that New York State maintains a sex offender registry, but few people know that New York State, in deed all states, also maintains a child abuse and maltreatment registry, known as the State Central Register. While the sex offender registry serves a useful purpose in that it makes the public aware of convicted sex offenders, the nature of their crimes,
CO- Prison spending still shackles state budget
Posted on June 22, 20096-22-2009 Colorado:Until sentencing laws change, not much can be doneOn June 3, Gov. Bill Ritter signed Senate Bill 228, repealing the statutory spending limitation (the Bird-Arveschoug Act) that held the annual increase in general fund spending in Colorado to 6 percent...
DC- Supreme Court to Review Law Targeting Sex Predators (Federal Civil Commitment)
Posted on June 22, 2009First I object to this reporter's use of "sex predator" and "sexual deviants" because that merely shows the prejudice of the reporter and does not fairly tell the story, factually. The reality is, the way that portion of the Adam Walsh Act is written, IF a federal prosecutor prosecuted a Romeo & Juliet case and sent that person to federal prison, then at the end of that person's sentence s/he
FL- Sex-offender laws burden neighborhood
Posted on June 21, 2009Caused by politicians who allege they are protecting children. Hummm, what about the children in the "clustered area" are they being protected?6-20-2009 Florida (Broward):The surreal specter of people forced by the state to live under a bridge is only one of the unintended consequences of South Florida's overwrought sex-offender residency laws...
NY- Dozens of sex offenders live in the Falls
Posted on June 21, 2009Clustering as mentioned in article is the result of Political Fear Mongering who use myths to gat laws enacted. Politicians care not how they affect neighboring communities when they pass residency restrictions, their ONLY concern is their particular district and constituents who keep them in office...
CA- Decoy testifies at sex-sting hearing: Doctor's defense unlikely to be allowed to call computer expert to refute theory
Posted on June 20, 2009See earlier stories HERE and HERE, in Texas the judge put the guy, who would not turn the drive over, in jail!6-20-2009 California:A Sonoma County judge is apparently satisfied with the explanation of why a police decoy's computer can't be turned over by prosecutors in the case of an East Bay doctor charged in a televised "sex-predator" sting in Petaluma three years ago...
I guess Pepsi is the choice of drink
Posted on June 20, 2009Young Raccoons Saved from Pepsi Machine @ Yahoo! Video
Happening in Congress: HR 2847 Appropriations
Posted on June 20, 20096-20-2009 Washington DC:The U.S. House approved an appropriations bill (HR 2847) Making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes...
GPS Devices Not a Silver Bullet, States Say
Posted on June 20, 20096-20-2009 National:GPS monitoring ? embraced as a simple technological solution for tracking the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders ? is proving to be something less than a silver bullet for state and local public safety agencies.Convinced that GPS monitoring was the answer to the sex offender problem, judges and lawmakers began mandating the technology for high-profile parolees...
RI- Inmate deaths
Posted on June 20, 20096-20-2009 Rhode Island:Inmate deaths A total of 62 prisoners have died while at the Adult Correctional Institutions since Jan. 1, 2000, according to data provided by the Department of Corrections. Causes vary from brain aneurysms to drug overdoses to cancer...
FL- What we think: Keep eye on sex predators
Posted on June 20, 20096-20-2009 Florida:In a high-profile (civil commitment) court case last month in Sanford, a man held since 2001 at the state mental hospital for violent sex offenders was released into the community ? without any provision for further treatment or law-enforcement monitoring...
VA- Bid denied, Portsmouth man stays on offender list
Posted on June 20, 2009I find it most egregious that the legislature can change the terms of a final agreement made at sentencing, by changing the interpretation of the law as it was at the time of sentencing. i.e., by wordsmithing around whether registration means "further punishment" -or- "further regulation...
TX- Gov. Perry vetoes 37 bills, including 'Romeo and Juliet'
Posted on June 20, 2009It is quite clear that the last thing Perry wants is, to place logic in the hands of the court. i.e., a judge to decide what is right under the circumstances of a case. Perry wants the control in the legislature so that "vengenance is mine" -Perry's theme, is strickly enforced...
MI- Drunk bridge jumper takes plunge in the buff
Posted on June 19, 20096-19-2009 Michigan:Cops, emergency rescue crew make rescue on the riverbankHolland, MI ? A Plainwell man found naked with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit near the River Avenue bridge Wednesday night, June 17, will likely face charges of indecent exposure, police said Thursday, June 18...
IA- Sex offenders calling state office, asking for advice on new law
Posted on June 19, 20096-19-2009 Iowa:Staff in the Iowa Department of Public Safety are busy fielding phone calls from sex offenders concerned about new restrictions on loitering that go into effect July 1st. According to Jim Saunders of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, sex offenders are asking whether they can attend their child's baseball game, for example...
OH- Sex offender wins challenge of new law
Posted on June 19, 20096-19-2009 Ohio:LISBON - A sex offender who challenged a reclassification requiring him to register his address for the rest of his life won a new classification requiring less registration time.Billy Brown, 47, of 10601 Endley Road, Lisbon, filed his petition contesting his new sex offender registration level on Dec...
MT- Want A Job? Hand Over Your E-Mail Login
Posted on June 19, 2009Sure, right, Bozeman here's my answer!6-19-2009 Montana:Bozeman, Montana Tells Applicants To Provide Facebook, Google "Usernames And Passwords," Which Some Find A Bit Too Invasive(CBS) If you're planning to apply for a job with the city of Bozeman, Montana, be prepared to hand over much more than your references and résumé...
Court rejects DNA access claim
Posted on June 19, 2009Read case carefully, the court DID NOT SAY there is no right no matter what the circumstances of a case are. In essence, this case was not correct to decide the ultimate issue, but for this fellow there was no constitutional right. Further, this is an area of law still evolving in the states and NOT YET ripe for a final U...
MS- Bullying, drugs, sexting among concerns facing school officers
Posted on June 19, 20096-19-2009 Mississippi: BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - "Today, bullying is also happening technologically: Lies, rumors, gossip," a crime victims expert told a group of school resource officers Thursday.The officers are responsible for the health and safety of your children at school...
MO- Koster: 373 from Missouri linked to sex crimes removed from MySpace
Posted on June 19, 2009IF, I say IF these are 373 NEW RSOs who have setup accounts after the 90,000 were previously removed, I would blame MySpace because they still have not changed their Terms of Agreement to indicate RSOs may not setup accounts; this failure is a system of entrapment!Now, since only ONE of the 90,000 was ever found to have communicated with a minor on MySpace, it is a waste of time to look at RSO
Major flaws in safeguards to protect public from killers and paedophiles
Posted on June 19, 20096-19-2009 Scotland:SERIOUS flaws have been exposed in the work of police, social work and other agencies tasked with protecting the public from the most dangerous violent and sexual offenders.A study published today finds the assessment of the risk posed by the most dangerous rapists, paedophiles and murderers after they are released from prison is often "poor or absent"...
UT- Group wants DUI registry
Posted on June 19, 20096-19-2009 Utah:LAYTON -- Davis County lawmakers heard this week about a preliminary proposal to post information on the Internet about residents who have been twice convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.The DUI offender Web site was proposed by a new group, Davis Helps, to the Davis Council of Governments Wednesday night...
IA- Iowa Supreme Court upholds sex offender treatment requirement for prisoners
Posted on June 19, 20096-19-2009 Iowa:The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a requirement that a convicted sex offender attend a treatment program to be eligible to get time off his sentence for good behavior. Jordan Holm was sentenced to prison for a maximum of ten years in November of 2003 for third-degree sexual abuse...
LA- BPSO registry tracking local sex offenders
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 Louisiana:DeRidder, La. - The new sex offender registration that Sheriff Ricky Moses promised during his 2008 office campaign is holding up to its hype. ?All Beauregard Parish offenders are in compliance with the regulations so far,? says Deputy Ronnie Cooley, ?and the program is running very well...
WI- Sexual offenders rules set
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 Wisconsin:Three years after the issue was first raised by Alderperson Randy Morrissette II, the Hudson City Council has adopted an ordinance restricting where people convicted of sex crimes may reside. Three years after the issue was first raised by Alderperson Randy Morrissette II, the Hudson City Council has adopted an ordinance restricting where people convicted of sex crimes may
AL- Sex Offender Talks About Moving Out Of Myric Motel
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 Alabama:Sex offender talks about rejection, shares plan for moving, expresses feelings about the moveHUNTSVILLE, AL - The clock is ticking as the final days of the Myric Motel could be fast approaching. WHNT NEWS 19 told you last week about the State's Fire Marshal's Office serving a notice suggesting it close after the office found several code violations...
ID- Idaho high court considers sex offender case
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 Idaho:BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Idaho Supreme Court is deciding whether a recent ruling allowing sex offenders to have attorneys during court-ordered psychosexual evaluations - or refuse to take part in the evaluations at all - should be applied retroactively...
CA- Computer hard drive focus of 'Dateline' doc hearing
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 California:A Sonoma County judge is apparently satisfied with the explanation of why a police decoy?s computer can?t be turned over by prosecutors in the case of an East Bay doctor charged in a televised ?sex-predator? sting in Petaluma three years ago...
OH- OH - Shelter To Turn Tier III Sex Offenders Away
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 Ohio:COLUMBUS, Ohio ? The only homeless shelter in Columbus to accept Tier III sex offenders planned to change its policy, 10TV News reported Tuesday.Faith Mission, located on Long Street, will no longer provide beds for the Tier III offenders beginning July 1, 10TV's Lindsey Seavert reported...
NJ- Don't rely on help from sex offender restriction
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 New Jersey:I am troubled for reasons that go beyond reactions to the state Supreme Court's decision to ban local ordinances barring child molesters from coming within a certain number of feet from schools, playgrounds, and other areas highly populated with children...
MI- Sex offenders create controversy in Detroit prisons
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 Michigan:It?s not often that inmates object to the release of other prisoners, but it?s happening in Detroit. Some inmates at the Ryan and Mound prisons have told me they?re upset that the two east-side Detroit prisons have been turned into re-entry sites for what they call ?tree jumpers? and other sex offenders...
WI- Warren Lilly, torture victim?
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 Wisconsin:Judge orders state to stop force-feeding protesting inmateAs Warren Lilly tells it, the bomb that destroyed a church in his boyhood home of Birmingham, Ala., was so close it caused his house to shake. Afterward he took part in a protest-march response led by Dr...
IN- It?s Time Washington D.C. Heeded the Constitution
Posted on June 18, 20096-18-2009 Indiana:If Thomas Jefferson could come back and visit the United States for a day, would he recognize the government his wisdom and wordsmithing helped create?He would likely be confused, or outraged, by the overreaching power of the federal government...
MO- Missouri Supreme Court ERRORS!
Posted on June 17, 20096-17-2009 Missouri:Court rules 10 must join sex offender registryJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri attorney general's office said Tuesday's ruling by the state Supreme Court means that all sex offenders in Missouri must register with the state, including those convicted before the registry was created more than a decade ago...
NY- Sign claims sex offender lurking at Rochester Community Center
Posted on June 17, 20096-17-2009 New York:ROCHESTER ? City officials say there is no indication anyone who uses the Community Center should feel unsafe despite signs an anonymous person posted there claiming a sex offender is "in our midst.""It has come to our attention that at the Rochester Community Center we have a level 3 sex offender with a child under 13," says a sign posted in a first-floor stairwell at the
SOSEN Announcement of a new project concerning "homelessness" under the Julia Tuttle Causeway
Posted on June 17, 20096-17-2009 National:A little background on how this SOSEN announcement was made, important because this is today's way of expressing First Amendment, Freedom of Speech rights which anyone can do.Apparently there is a Internet radio show known as "America's Reality Check" (ARC) which discusses "the TRUTH and not MYTHS of a range of Topics in our nation...
MySpace Cuts Work Force by 30 Percent
Posted on June 17, 2009If they have over 1,000 its bloated all right, probably is if they have more than a handful since the majority of their operations are automated.6-17-2009 Global:The social network MySpace is reducing its staff to cut costs in an effort to return to what it calls a ?startup culture...
IA- Detectives shot 25 times at Harvell
Posted on June 16, 20095-19-2009 Iowa:Three West Des Moines police detectives fired 25 shots at a serial rapist last week after he pointed a blank-firing gun and threatened to kill them, according to a search warrant unsealed this morning.Adam Harvell, 36, was shot and killed after the detectives took a different search warrant to his townhouse in the Village at Glen Oaks, a gated community southeast of Jordan Creek
CA- Man can sue officials for keeping him in prison
Posted on June 16, 20096-16-2009 California:A Bay Area man can sue California officials for allegedly violating his rights by keeping him in prison for 18 months after a state court had overturned the law under which he was convicted, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.William Cousins claimed in his lawsuit that the state attorney general, prison system director and prison warden should have taken steps to free
Cyberbullying and Sexting Topics of Discussion at Cox?s Annual Teen Summit in DC
Posted on June 16, 20096-16-2009 National:Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When ?think before you click? becomes as vital a lesson as ?look before you leap,? it is clear that measures must be taken to create a safer cyber world for society?s youth. For the fifth consecutive year, Cox Communications has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and John Walsh, host of America?s Most Wanted,
IA- Library considers sex offender law impact
Posted on June 16, 2009The latest in idiot written laws. Tell me an idiot didn't write this law!6-16-2009 Iowa:City Attorney Don Hemphill assured Spencer Public Library board members recently that only four sentences in a new state law apply to city and county libraries. He also deemed the potential impact of the 32-page act signed by the Gov...
CO- No Boulder Bikers Ticketed For Nudity
Posted on June 15, 20096-14-2009 Colorado:BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ? Boulder's version of the World Naked Bike Ride was a little less revealing this year. That's because police decided for the first time to ride a little rougher on the cheeky bikers.For five years Boulder residents had to "bare" witness to the annual naked bike ride through town...
NY- Ruling allowing Taser use to get DNA may be nation?s first
Posted on June 15, 2009My gut tells me if appealed this will be overturned. Clearly torture, which reminds me, will International laws and protections be applicable?6-15-2009 New York:LOCKPORT ? It is legally permissible for police to zap a suspect with a Taser to obtain a DNA sample, as long as it?s not done ?maliciously, or to an excessive extent, or with resulting injury,? a county judge has ruled in the first case
NY- Beyond sick: Rapist sells tales
Posted on June 15, 2009This guy and his enterprise needs to be stopped, this is harassment of the families and he should be so charged criminally. Further, whatever income he has derived should be confiscated to pay for the costs of incarceration. I cannot believe NY has no laws to stop or prevent this...
CA- Sex offender convicted of threat to Calif TV crews
Posted on June 15, 2009There is no way this man should have been convicted, he was provoked past human breaking points. This country needs some kind of laws to stop the aggressiveness of the media; many celebs will stand behind that platform! When the media acts as it did here, that is media vigilantism!6-15-2009 California:OAKDALE, Calif...
TX- Sex offender registry update may pose risk to offenders
Posted on June 15, 20096-14-2009 Texas:Texas' sex offender registry received upgrades this year allowing residents to track offenders through workplaces, schools and e-mail notifications, but offender advocates say the upgrades downgrade chances of rehabilitation."Rick," who declined to have his name published, is self-employed and a sex offender...
VA- Child molester David C. Trainum to remain in state custody
Posted on June 15, 20096-4-2009 Virginia:WAYNESBORO ? A child molester who left a trail of victims in his wake and was civilly committed by the state after serving out his prison term was denied freedom Wednesday during an annual review in Waynesboro Circuit Court.Last June, David C...
NH- Slow Justice is no justice
Posted on June 15, 20096-15-2009 New Hampshire:Justice served? Not even close.A 43-year-old convicted rapist who served 22 years in prison for his crime is back in jail again following charges that he assaulted a woman at his Portsmouth apartment. The alleged assault took place while Charles Paul was free on bail on other charges...
GA- Exonerated man chooses forgiveness over bitterness
Posted on June 15, 20096-15-2009 Georgia:Calvin Johnson motivated to ?give back? to othersLeaning into a curve on a Georgia mountain highway, tearing through the wind like a bullet, Calvin Johnson can forget about the shackles that he wore.He and his friends ride their motorcycles for fun, for fellowship and because they just love the machines...
UT- Trial set for woman accused of blackmailing man over rape charge
Posted on June 15, 20096-15-2009 Utah:FARMINGTON -- A woman accused of blackmailing a man at Hill Air Force Base over a rape allegation will go on trial next month. The 31-year-old woman appeared in 2nd District Court on Monday where she was expected to tae a plea deal. However, her attorney announced that she would like to take the case to trial...
Living Beyond The Label: Level 3 Dreams Come True
Posted on June 15, 20096-15-2009 National:A daunting list of goals left no time for activism these last few months, but what a time it?s been! Dreams I once thought were lost for me are now amazing realities?and one profound truth stands out: society?s darkest label cannot define us, no matter what we?ve done, or what the ?official? record says, unless we give up; unless we fail to pursue our greater selves and
FL- Jury calls renderings child porn
Posted on June 14, 20096-14-2009 Florida:BARTOW - Although a jury convicted a former Polk County school principal on child pornography charges Friday, appeals courts likely will have the last word on whether his actions were a crime.Prosecutors say John Stelmack superimposed the faces of two girls on photos of nude women to make it appear as if the girls were in lewd poses...
MS- Felon jailed in Moss Point murder case
Posted on June 14, 20096-14-2009 Mississippi:MOSS POINT ? A convicted felon was in jail Friday, accused in the May 30 shooting death of convicted sex offender Silas Miller, 65, outside his home on Barnett Street.Moss Point Police Chief Sheila Smallman said Henry Lee Craig, 35, of Moss Point, was arrested late Thursday night through a joint effort between the Police Department and agents with the FBI Safe Streets Task
FL- Sex Offender wants title dropped
Posted on June 14, 20096-14-2009 Florida:Virgil McCranie and his wife Misty have been married for ten years.They have four kids, but it hasn't' been a fairy-tale marriage."I was drinking one night and things just kind of happened," McCranie said.That was before the couple was married...
NH- Nothing civil about civil commitments
Posted on June 14, 20096-14-2009 New Hampshire:With the civil commitment of convicted sex offender William Ploof, New Hampshire has joined the nearly 20 states that have gone down an extremely expensive, marginally useful and legally dubious path. Ploof, who has already served his full sentence for his crime, was ordered last week to spend up to five years in a section of the secure psychiatric unit that operates
Glenn Beck Denies Ever Talking About FEMA Concentration Camps
Posted on June 14, 20096-14-2009 National:Glenn Beck has been popping up on FNC outside of his own program, including last night?s O?Reilly Factor to claim that he never mentioned the conspiracy theory of FEMA concentration camps, the problem for Beck is that in March he did mention that he couldn?t debunk the FEMA concentration camps theory...
CA- Court upholds sex offender mental health detentions (Civil Commitment), but orders hearings for some
Posted on June 14, 20096-14-2009 California:A key 2006 Jessica's Law section allowing open-ended state mental hospital placement for sexually violent predators is constitutional, but defendants who fought re-commitment as the law took effect deserve a court hearing, appellate judges ruled...
PA- Doubt cast on whether residency restrictions for convicted sex offenders keeps children safer
Posted on June 14, 20096-14-2009 Pennsylvania:Middletown Borough in Dauphin County has joined a list of other Pennsylvania communities that restrict where convicted sex offenders can live. The problem is, several studies seem to show, such laws don't keep children safer. Lauren Taylor is executive director of the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which evaluates everyone accused of a sex crime to determine their risk
RI- Would-be bounty hunters not backed up by R.I. law
Posted on June 13, 20096-12-2009 Rhode Island:PROVIDENCE ? The two ?bounty hunters? who tangled with the police and ended up under arrest after they plied their new trade in Woonsocket by allegedly forcing their way into a woman?s apartment and handcuffing her have a problem with state law, the attorney general?s office said Thursday...
VT- Judge reviews Barre's curbs on sex offenders
Posted on June 13, 20096-13-2009 Vermont:MONTPELIER ? Christopher Hagan still has a home and the City of Barre still has a Child Safety Ordinance.For now.One of those two truths could change ? at least temporarily ? when Judge Helen Toor finally weighs in on a dispute that pits Hagan, a convicted sex offender, against a city that doesn't want him living within 1,000 feet of any of its schools, parks or
OH- Psychologist: Sex offenders can't be trusted with social media
Posted on June 13, 2009The issue that is being raised is, sex offenders and social media sites. Now Dr. Orlando claims to have counseled hundreds of sex offenders and feels they cannot be trusted on social media websites, ""It's way too tempting for them. It would be like an alcoholic taking a job as a bartender...
NJ- Former Hunterdon officer convicted of sex crime can hold public office, court says
Posted on June 13, 20096-13-2009 New Jersey:A three-judge appellate panel ruled today that a former Hunterdon County Sheriff's officer who pleaded guilty in January 2008 to fourth-degree criminal sexual contact can hold public office according to a report in the Courier News...
Bill in Congress - HR-2612 and S-1146
Posted on June 12, 20095-29-2009 National:`Sex Offender Registration Tips Program Act of 2009' or the `SORT Act of 2009'Two bills contain essentially the same thing:Sponsor: Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3]Introduced 5/21/2009 HR-2612Sponsor: Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY]Introduced 5/21/2009 S-1146 The STATED intent of the bill is:To direct the Attorney General to provide grants and access to information and resources
VT- Judge to decide whether Barre can limit where sex offenders live
Posted on June 12, 20096-12-2009 Vermont:(Host) A Superior Court judge must decide whether the city of Barre has the authority to limit where sex offenders can live. The case is the first in Vermont to challenge local ordinances aimed at keeping sex offenders away from schools and playgrounds...
DC- US Supreme Court Blog: Petitions to watch
Posted on June 12, 20096-12-2009 U.S. Supreme court:Petitions to Watch Conference of 6.18.09This edition of ?Petitions to Watch? features cases up for consideration at the Justices? private conference on June 18, the penultimate conference of this Term. As always, the list contains the petitions on the Court?s paid docket that Tom has deemed to have a reasonable chance of being granted: See earlier action on this case
MN- Men convicted in Sartell bar incident must register as sex offenders
Posted on June 11, 2009Is this really the type of crime that registries were enacted for? As I see it this further dilutes the registry into a meaningless former criminal registry. Further, to call these men "Predators" is absurd, study the facts and ask yourself: Did these men seek out a bar to commit this type of crime, where are the predatorial facts? BTW, under the Adam Walsh Act this will be lifetime registration
WA- Honking horn not constitutionally protected
Posted on June 11, 20096-11-2009 Washington:As free-speech cases go, Monday's ruling against Helen Immelt may not qualify as a landmark, but it does clear up one question: The prolonged honking of your car's horn in front of your neighbor's house in the wee hours of the morning isn't a constitutionally protected First Amendment right...
MI- Mothers need to protect their children from sexual predators
Posted on June 11, 2009A close review of this article will reveal that everyone believes that the horrible death of this child was due to a sexual predator. Folks are drawing that conclusion because the mother befriended two different previously convicted sex offenders. So far, I have not seen anything in the news to indicate that "sex crime" was committed here, even though that may ultimately prove to be the case.
Sen. Grassley Webcast- How a bill becomes a law, Part 1
Posted on June 11, 2009As he publishes more of these we will add them to this series.eAdvocate
CT- Safety zone? Sex offender law ?dead on vine?
Posted on June 11, 2009This is a roomful of misguided people at work, they have 4 RSOs and want a proximity law allegedly to protect children. Are they expecting a Woodstock? Whether or not a law is in place, its presence is not going to stop someone from committing a new sex offense...
PA- To charge vigilante neighbors or not: Rape of Philly girl, 11, incited mob to beat suspect
Posted on June 11, 2009Personally I do not see the issue here. Why? Consider this, if I were to take aim at someone I hated and shoot hime, but miss him and kill someone else, should I be allowed to go free just because I say "Opps I shot the wrong guy." People must be held accountable for their actions, no matter who their actions are against...
OH- Bill Would Name Sex Offenders Who Live In Nursing Homes
Posted on June 11, 2009Here we have a lawmaker who fails to address the issues that surround a sex offender's need for a nursing home, looking only at welll known myths and sound bites. One would hope that lawmakers would resolve issues without prejudices and biases such as found here, and look for real resolves to help all those who have needs...
TX- Teen gets 100 years for child sex abuse
Posted on June 11, 2009This is a cruel and unusual sentence, while his crime are also wrong, two wrongs do not make it right. The teen is recognized as one who "has profound mental disabilities" and therefore is in the wrong court. Hopefully he will get a real appellate attorney to have this entire mess overturned and receive an appropriate sentence along with help for his mental disabilities...
ME- Inmate's death ruled a homicide
Posted on June 11, 20096-10-2009 Maine:WARREN (June 10): Maine State Police have ruled that the April 24 death of an inmate at the Maine State Prison was a homicide. Sheldon Weinstein, 64, from New Hartford, N.Y., died of blunt force trauma, the state Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Wednesday...
MA- Who cares: Rehabilitation, not registration
Posted on June 11, 2009WOW, I couldn't disagree more with this editorial. I also think a drug registry, not for known users, would be beneficial in the war on drugs.6-11-2009 Massachusetts:Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?In your neighborhood?In your neighborhood?Say, who are the people in your neighborhood?The people that you meet each day...
LA- Paranoid Police Defamed Him, Man Says
Posted on June 10, 2009The demonization of men; would this happen if he were a woman stopping to rest as he did?6-9-2009 Louisiana:NEW ORLEANS (CN) - A man claims Terrebonne Parish and a Houma police officer warned school districts that he was "essentially a child predator" because the cop saw him resting after a 2-mile run on a public jogging path near a school...
MA- DA decides not to retry child abuse case
Posted on June 10, 20096-10-2009 Massachusetts:PITTSFIELD ? Prosecutors have decided not to retry a Pittsfield man whose child molestation conviction was vacated after he served 21 years of a life sentence.Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless said today that trying Bernard Baran again is "not in the interests of justice...
MI- Novi police ID woman who kissed girls
Posted on June 10, 2009If this was a man do folks think it would have resulted in a sex charge?6-10-2009 Michigan:An anonymous tip has revealed to Novi police the identity of a woman who kissed two 11-year-old girls as they were running on Taft Road, according to a statement issued today...
CO- Bogus letter claims Aurora man is sex offender
Posted on June 10, 20096-10-2009 Colorado:AURORA - The wording of a letter recently sent anonymously to people in one metro-area neighborhood would scare any parent. But the allegations made against Aurora Hills Middle School security officer Ray Hall are not true.The letter claims a sexual predator is on the loose that neither the "City of Aurora nor the Schools want you to know" about...
Legislative Hearing June 9 on "Juvenile Justice Accountability and Improvement Act"
Posted on June 09, 20096-9-2009 Congress:From The Sentencing Project website:Today, the U.S. House of Representative's Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will convene a hearing at 3:00 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2141, to listen to testimony about sentences of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP)...
NH- ACLU wants to bow out of suit over sex-offender ordinance
Posted on June 09, 20096-9-2009 New Hampshire:The lawyer for the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union has asked a Merrimack County Superior Court judge to release her from representing a convicted sex offender who is challenging the city's sex-offender registration restrictions...
FL- Close the camp
Posted on June 09, 20096-9-2009 Florida:OUR OPINION: The shantytown of sex offenders under the Julia Tuttle Causeway is fast becoming a public-safety and health crisisThe year: 2020. The place: Under the Julia Tuttle Causeway. Population: 500 homeless sex offenders living in a shantytown created with the help of state and local officials...
NJ- Less restrictive sex offender bill passes hurdle
Posted on June 09, 20096-9-2009 New Jersey:TRENTON -- State lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that would allow municipalities to restrict where convicted sex offenders may live, but the measure is less strict than ordinances adopted by Hamilton and Robbinsville. Drafted in response to a recent state Supreme Court decision striking down ordinances in about 118 municipalities, the bill would allow towns to bar
CA- CA court: SVP defendant must be competent
Posted on June 09, 20096-9-2009 California:A excellent article by Karen Franklin, PhD over at the In the News blog:Appellate court bucks national trend In another important SVP decision, a California appellate court has ruled that it is Unconstitutional to civilly commit a sex offender who is incompetent to stand trial...
FL- Bay County Juvenile Among 77 Statewide Cybercrime Arrests
Posted on June 09, 2009While I'm sure many will not view my comments as a ray of hope, others will see them as proof of what advocates have been saying for years now and which has been proven by the U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics. Arrested: 77, of those arrested were 4 registered sex offenders...
IN- Court of Appeals rules Dowdell allowed in Jeffersonville parks
Posted on June 09, 20096-9-2009 Indiana:The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed a decision by Clark County Superior Court No. 1 banning convicted sex offender Eric Dowdell from going in Jeffersonville parks.An ordinance, which was passed by the Jeffersonville City Council in January of 2007, prohibits sex offenders from ever entering Jeffersonville?s municipally-owned parks...
House curbs 'virtual strip searches' at airports
Posted on June 08, 20096-8-2009 National:WASHINGTON--The Transportation Security Agency's plans to use X-rays to peek under air travelers' clothes may soon be shelved. In a 310-118 vote on Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that curbs the growing use of what critics call "virtual strip searches" at airport checkpoints...
PA- City may change sex offender law
Posted on June 08, 2009No one is protected by this illusion, politicians just want to look good before the public. They know the truth and to cover 25 persons, what a waste of time and resources and lkely a hefty lawyer fee.6-8-2009 Pennsylvania:SUNBURY ? No one has ever been fined or jailed for violating the city ordinance that prohibits registered sex offenders from loitering within 1,000 feet of public places where
Vigilante Justice Proves To Be Unjust in Kensington
Posted on June 08, 20096-8-2009:From TalkLeft blog:The principal reason to favor due process and the presumption of innocence over "swift and certain" vigilante justice is illustrated by two ugly displays of street justice in Pennsylvania. After the police identified Jose Carrasquillo as a "person of interest" in the repeated rape of an 11 year old girl, "justice-seeking" residents of Kensington began looking for him.
Our view on hard-times budgeting: States releasing prisoners early may pay for it later
Posted on June 08, 20096-8-2009 National:High recidivism means short-term cuts won?t equal long-term savings. In any context, cost cutting in times of economic stress tends to produce shortsighted solutions. But several states struggling to cope with the recession have settled on one approach that is a certain recipe for long-term trouble...
Professor: Many sex offenders have "brainwashed" themselves
Posted on June 08, 2009The real question here is, who has been "brainwashed," while I am sure there may be some sex offenders as she describes, but to use the word "many" is very likely exaggerating. In the world of sex offenders there are facts and there are myths, here it seems the myths reign...
MA- Court says re-evaluate sex offender?s risk
Posted on June 08, 2009Obviously this court has not heard of the Adam Walsh Act because under that law the ONLY thing that is used to determine risk level is, the state crime code. AWA does not consider anything else its purpose is to make the registrant as dangerous as possible and have the public IGNORE everything that both the State and the registrant has done since the crime...
NC- Keeping track of sex offenders
Posted on June 08, 2009Hummm, like registrants -those not on parole or probation- have nothing to do all day but sit home waiting for a STUPID registered letter from a paranoid police agency. Some folks could be visiting on vacation or away for other reasons normal to life, then wind up in prison because they didn't return a STUPID letter within 3 days...
Report points to prison security failures
Posted on June 08, 20096-8-2009 National:WASHINGTON ? A government inquiry into the most recent fatal assault of a federal correctional officer details multiple security breakdowns and underscores a fear among federal officials who say inmates have grown increasingly violent in their dealings with prison staff...
Terms of Service: Have they changed?
Posted on June 08, 20096-8-2009 Global:Ever wonder, if you've read them at all, if the Terms of Service have changed since you first signed up for whatever service you are thinking about?Well here is a great site which keeps track of such changes for many well known sites.Google just changed its TOS on June 2, 2009...
ME- Legislature Makes Changes to State's Sex Offender Registry
Posted on June 08, 20096-8-2009 Maine:Two bills that will change policies regarding convicted sex offenders have been enacted by the Legislature and are being supported by the governor. Under one measure, certain offenders would be able to have their names removed from Maine's online Sex Offender Registry if they can prove that they have not committed any crimes since their initial conviction...
GA- Lawyer argues sex offender law off target, unconstitutional
Posted on June 08, 20096-8-2009 Georgia:Sexual act need not be committed for someone to be on registryA Fulton County judge was asked Monday to declare a facet of Georgia?s sex-offender registry law unconstitutional because it makes people who have not committed sex crimes register as sex offenders...
ME- Study reveals 'hidden homeless' in rural America
Posted on June 07, 20096-7-2009 Maine:BRUNSWICK ? The old, run-down trailer in the backcountry near Norridgewock wasn't much to look at, but it was home.That was before the landlord died, setting in motion events that left Michelle DeStoop, Bobby Landry and their six children without a place of their own...
Holding of the U.S. Supreme Court on Anonymous free speech
Posted on June 07, 2009McIntyre v. Ohio Elections CommissionDocket: 93-986Citation: 514 U.S. 334 (1995)Facts of the CaseOn April 27, 1988, Margaret McIntyre distributed leaflets to persons attending a public meeting in Ohio expressing her opposition to a proposed school tax levy...
NH- Predator law faces big tests (Civil Commitment law)
Posted on June 07, 2009Unfortunately the media is using the wrong terms here, it is important to distinguish between "Prison and Civil Commitment." Compounding the problem is that New Hamshire civil commitment program is "Detaining" sex offenders in the state's "Secure Psychiatric Unit / Residential Treatment Unit" which happens to be in the State Prison at Concord...
NH- Sex offender to remain incarcerated (Detained in Civil Commitment)
Posted on June 07, 2009Unfortunately the media is using the wrong terms here, it is important to distinguish between "Prison and Civil Commitment." Compounding the problem is that New Hamshire civil commitment program is "Detaining" sex offenders in the state's "Secure Psychiatric Unit / Residential Treatment Unit" which happens to be in the State Prison at Concord...
AK- Offender won't have to register
Posted on June 07, 2009Old article but worth a read, and the case is available in the "Files Area" of our SO-News Group for members. Note: This is a State decision based on its Constitution and therefore not precedent elsewhere; to our knowledge Alaska has not done anything about this, rightfully so...
NJ- Legislators set to debate sex offender residency restrictions
Posted on June 07, 2009In other words, the Legislature is trying to figure how to overrule the court's decision. What is so funny is, the court's decision is based on PRIOR legislators' thinking and laws enacted. The task: How to get around the ex post facto clauses?6-7-2009 New Jersey:Legislation that would allow New Jersey communities to impose residency restrictions for sex offenders will be debated Monday by an
UN announces launch of world?s first tuition-free, online university
Posted on June 07, 20096-7-2009 Global: A leading arm of the United Nations working to spread the benefits of information technology today announced the launch of the first ever tuition-free online university.As part of this year?s focus on education, the UN Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technology and Development (GAID) presented the newly formed University of the People, a non-profit institution
FL- Drawing of Jessica Lunsford is returned, so theft charge is dropped
Posted on June 06, 20096-6-2009 Florida:SPRING HILL ? At the request of Mark Lunsford, prosecutors Friday dropped a felony grand theft charge against a woman accused of stealing three large drawings from him, including one of his 9-year-old daughter, Jessica, who was kidnapped and killed in 2005...
CA- Man arrested at Murrieta hospital on rape charges
Posted on June 06, 20096-6-2009 California:A man was arrested in a hospital emergency room where he had gone for treatment about an hour after a woman he allegedly raped bit off his tongue, police said.Murrieta police were summoned to the apartment in the 24000 block of Hancock Avenue around 10:23 a...
MA- Court gives sex offender another chance
Posted on June 06, 20096-6-2009 Massachusetts:The state Appeals Court has given new life to a convicted sex offender?s effort to be removed from the state registry.The man, who is referred to only as John Doe in a ruling issued Friday by the Appeals Court, was convicted of attacking and trying to rape a woman in Quincy in 1984 and was sentenced to a year in jail...
WA- Yakima cracking down on thong underwear
Posted on June 06, 2009If your cleavage shows too much, you might be a sex offender!6-6-2009 Washington:The Yakima City Council is cracking down on what an ordinance delicately refers to as "cleavage of the buttocks."YAKIMA ? The Yakima City Council is cracking down on what an ordinance delicately refers to as "cleavage of the buttocks...
PA- Police: Man stole Internet, solicited sex
Posted on June 06, 20096-6-2009 Pennsylvania:Just in case you needed another reason to secure your wireless Internet connection: Pedophiles. Gail Hoffmaster was getting her kids ready for school Wednesday morning when state agents knocked on the door of her Falls home. Her first thought was that her husband was dead...
Internet use triples in decade; broadband surges
Posted on June 05, 20096-5-2009 Global:It's official: The Internet is a part of daily life.According to a new report by the Census Bureau, Internet use tripled from 1997 to 2007.Sixty-two percent of U.S. households used the Internet from home; 18% did that in 1997.Among those using the Internet in 2007, 82% did so using a high-speed connection...
Deadline extended for national sex offender registry compliance
Posted on June 05, 20096-5-2009 National:BENNINGTON ? The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to extend a deadline for states to comply with federal sex offender registry requirements, something Vermont officials have been pushing for. Compliance checks The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it will extend the July compliance deadline contained in the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, part of
KY- Death row inmate challenges Ky.'s DNA testing law
Posted on June 05, 20096-5-2009 Kentucky:LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? A death row inmate has challenged Kentucky's DNA testing law, asking the state's high court to either overturn his conviction or allow for more detailed analysis of the evidence by the state or an outside lab.Brian Keith Moore made the request Wednesday in an appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court...
WI- Wis. Inmate Bound Over For Trial On Suicide Charge
Posted on June 05, 20096-5-2009 WIsconsin:JUNEAU, Wis. (AP) ? Walters was charged in April with assisted suicide in the death of 20-year-old Adam C. Peterson. Peterson, a college dropout, was serving a life sentence for the 2008 stabbing death of Madison resident Joel Marino...
MA- Mass. court: board must weigh sex offender?s acts
Posted on June 05, 20096-5-2009 Massachusetts:The Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled the state must weigh the entirety of a sex offender?s life, including what role alcohol might have played in the original crime, when determining if he must register as an offender indefinitely...
NM- Court rules against NM in tribal sex offender case
Posted on June 05, 20096-5-2009 New Mexico:SANTA FE (AP) - A New Mexico court has ruled the state's sex offender registration law does not apply to Indians on tribal land.The Court of Appeals decision involved three Navajos. They were arrested separately in northwestern New Mexico outside the Navajo reservation for failing to register as sex offenders under a state law...
ME- Prison employees on leave as probe of inmate's death continues
Posted on June 05, 2009If this were a suicide, no one would be on paid leave. Accordingly, something is amiss with this case!6-5-2009 Maine:WARREN (June 4): Three employees of the Maine State Prison are on paid administrative leave as an investigation continues into the April 23 death of a prisoner...
Beaten man leaves hospital
Posted on June 05, 20096-5-2009 Pennsylvania:The man who was pummeled by Kensington vigilantes for his alleged connection to the rape of an 11-year-old girl was released from the hospital yesterday as new allegations arose that he groped another woman the day he allegedly attacked the girl...
TX- Texas blogger jailed after failing to turn PC over to judge
Posted on June 05, 20096-5-2009 Texas:Fifty-three-year-old Lyndal Harrington blogged some nasty things about Anna Nicole Smith's mother, resulting in a defamation lawsuit. The court ordered her to turn over her computer for evidence; after failing to do so, Harrington was thrown in jail...
FL- Busting camp offenders is not the answer
Posted on June 04, 20096-4-2009 Florida:P icnic Island #4 is about as much a park as Marc Sarnoff is a statesman.Picnic #4 rises out of Biscayne Bay as an obscure clump of a spoil island, accessible only by boat. (Or perhaps by amphibious sex offenders willing to swim 1,200 feet across open water from the Julie Tuttle Causeway...
PA- ACLU to Sunbury: Change sex offender ordinance or face suit
Posted on June 04, 20096-4-2009 Pennsylvania:SUNBURY ? The city will be named in a federal lawsuit next week if it doesn?t move to eliminate a 2006 ordinance prohibiting registered sex offenders from loitering within 1,000 feet of schools, day cares, playgrounds or any public place children congregate...
WY- Corrections dept. cuts inmate treatment programs
Posted on June 04, 2009In other words, long term public safety is sacrificed? OH yes, and paroles will ultimately be denied because inmates have not completed these programs; which will be more expensive?6-4-2009 Wyoming:CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The Wyoming Department of Corrections is cutting inmate sex offender and mental health treatment programs to save money...
CA- Predator sting 'decoy' ordered to explain missing evidence
Posted on June 04, 2009Is there some hanky panky going on here? Hopefully the judge will get to the hard drive on the 15th. Further, the court had better have someone prove that that drive was once installed in Von Erck's home computer which should also be brought to court for examination...
OH- Judge denies part of sex-abusers? appeals
Posted on June 04, 20096-4-2009 Ohio:LISBON ? Judge C. Ashley Pike of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court has denied part of 31 cases filed by sex abusers over their classifications that say how long they must report to authorities.The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2008, increased the length of time convicted sex offenders must register their names and addresses with law enforcement agencies...
Anatomy of a Child Pornographer
Posted on June 04, 20096-4-2009 National:What happens when adults catch teenagers "sexting" photos of each other? The death of common sense.On a chilly Tuesday morning in November 2007, 16-year-old Alex Davis was taking a shower before school when his mother, Betty, knocked on the bathroom door...
PA- Philly police: No charges against neighbors who beat man sought for questioning in girl?s rape
Posted on June 04, 2009See earlier story:6-4-2009 Pennsylvania:Neighbors who beat man over rape won?t be chargedPHILADELPHIA ? Philadelphia?s police commissioner says there will be no charges against neighbors who beat a man sought for questioning in the rape of an 11-year-old girl...
PA- 'Person of interest' caught in child-rape case
Posted on June 03, 20096-3-2009 Pennsylvania:The man sought in connection with the rape of an 11-year-old girl this week was arrested late yesterday after residents in Kensington noticed him on the street and beat him before police arrived.Jose Carrasquillo, 26, was spotted near Front and Clearfield Streets yesterday afternoon, less than two miles from the backyard where the girl's assault took place Monday morning -
FBI Releases Preliminary Annual Crime Statistics for 2008
Posted on June 03, 20096-3-2009 National:According to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report released today, the nation experienced a 2.5 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes and a 1.6 percent decline in the number of property crimes for 2008 compared with data from 2007...
CA- La Verne adds penalties to laws regulating sex-offenders living in the city
Posted on June 03, 20096-3-2009 California:LA VERNE - The City Council has revised its city codes to criminalize registered sex offenders who live within 2,000 feet of a public or private school or any park where children regularly gather. The law, passed Monday night, was created to "protect the citizens of La Verne from sexual predators...
KY- Second House For Sex Offenders Shut Down
Posted on June 03, 2009I think it is time for the government to step in a quell this vigilantism, and do so with punishments that shock the conscience, 20--30 years in jail. Do that once and it will end!6-3-2009 Kentucky:For the second time since January, the Catholic Action Center in Lexington has been forced to shut down a house they were providing for registered sex offenders...
Frequent Moves Linked to Childhood Suicide
Posted on June 03, 20096-3-2009 Global:SAN FRANCISCO, June 2 -- When a family relocates frequently, the children may be put at increased risk of suicidality, according to a Danish study.The risk for both attempted and completed suicide doubled among kids age 11 to 17 after three to five changes of residence, Ping Qin, Ph...
FL- Miami moves to force out sex offenders' causeway camp
Posted on June 03, 20096-3-2009 Florida:The city of Miami has asked Gov. Charlie Crist to remove the sex offenders living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway, citing a nearby island deemed to be a public park.A rarely visited spoil island just a stone's throw from a homeless camp under the Julia Tuttle Causeway has spurred Miami leaders to attempt to uproot the sex offenders who are forced to live there...
RI- R.I. Supreme Court rejects sex offender?s risk challenge
Posted on June 03, 2009Important to note, this decision pertains ONLY to Thopmas Germane. Within the court's decision is this comment "For the reasons set forth below, it is our view that a portion of chapter 37.1 of title 11, in some instances, could be irreconcilable with the constitutionally protected right to procedural due process...
IA- New sex offender law could present challenge for Shelter House
Posted on June 03, 2009The definition of loitering gives new meaning to the word "over-broad," potential victims can be found anywhere in the world. Every time lawmakers go behind closed doors, anywhere in the nation, the concoction they come up with defies logic. Today's definition, not applicable to non registered sex offenders who commit the majority of new sex offenses, allows their conduct to continue without
CO- Charged sex offender shot to death in Colorado Springs
Posted on June 03, 20096-3-2009 Colorado:The body found Monday in Palmer Park has been identified as Jon Hazard, 43, who was to face trial next week. Hazard was charged with ten felonies including sexual assault with a pattern of abuse, sexual assault on a child from a person in a position of trust, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor...
FL- Miami Tries To Shutdown Sex Offender Camp
Posted on June 03, 2009There is something NEW in this report, the State takes a position, while it may not yet be official it is the first time the state has spoken on such issues. If the state makes its position known OFFICIALLY, then it has basically overridden local residency laws -as to distance-...
WI- Knowing the Pros and Tracking the Cons of Green Bay's Sex Offender Ordinance
Posted on June 02, 20096-2-2009 Wisconsin:City leaders learned more about the pros and cons of the Green Bay sex offender ordinance Monday night, as some argue the ordinance should be reconsidered.The ordinance prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, day cares, and other places children gather, which effectively puts 93-percent of the city off-limits...
VT- New law stops criminal defendants from profiting on cases
Posted on June 02, 2009Note registry comment:6-2-2009 Vermont:RUTLAND ? Jennifer Cavacas knows the legislation she inspired won't bring back her brother or the assets of his estate, which were transferred after he was fatally shot last year.But on Monday, when Gov. James Douglas signed her bill into law at the Rutland Police Department, Cavacas said she hopes her work will help others...
CA- Corrections officials reverse themselves: Sex offenders can return to camp on creek
Posted on June 02, 20096-2-2009 California:Reversing course, California corrections officials said Monday that homeless sex offenders on parole may once again live along Black Rascal Creek.The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had ordered that by Friday the camp in west Merced be cleared after it heard complaints about trespassing...
RI- New agency, rules at homeless shelter
Posted on June 02, 20096-2-2009 Rhode Island:CRANSTON ? The state has hired a new agency to run the Harrington Hall homeless shelter, ending a controversial arrangement in which beds were being reserved for convicted sex offenders.Starting July 1, the Urban League of Rhode Island will be out, and the House of Hope Community Development Corporation will be in...
MA- Connecting from inside
Posted on June 02, 2009Let us never forget that, upon renetry prisoners do best and are not likely to recidivate, if they have a strong support system. This is one way they have to develop such a system and it helps to protect society in the long term...6-2-2009 Massachusetts:WEB ALLOWS INMATES TO FORM RELATIONSHIPSA baby-faced young man in a white T-shirt stares from the computer screen...
TX- On the predator list? It?s even harder to find a job
Posted on June 02, 2009It is hard to find reporters who will report stories without adding their own form of subtle prejudices and bias. Here we have one using the term "Predator List" and "Low Risk Registrants" simultaneously, obviously low risk registrants are not predators...
RI- Hope city
Posted on June 02, 20096-2-2009 Rhode Island:There is, perhaps, no more potent symbol of economic distress than a shantytown. It is the domestic exposed. It is life in the cold.So the tent city that sprouted under the Crawford Street Bridge in Providence four months back has attracted its share of media attention...
Alton attorney accidentally sues himself
Posted on June 02, 2009Came across this during research, it pays to know who your clients are or were!3-5-2005 Funny: Alton attorney Emert Wyss thought he could make money in a Madison County class action lawsuit, but he accidentally sued himself instead. Now he has four law firms after his money - and he hired all four...
TN- Mom Chases Sex Offender Who Reportedly Propositioned Daughters
Posted on June 02, 20096-2-2009 Tennessee: Kids ride their bikes along Homer and Fairmont Streets near Binghampton.But Friday afternoon, a bike ride turned into something more for 12 year old Tamira Sims and her 14 year old sister Tiara, when a stranger in a white car stopped them...
CA- Prudish Prosecutors Charge Teenagers with Pornography and Worse For Sexy Text Messages
Posted on June 02, 20096-2-2009 California:The police captain might be right, in one sense. Particularly for the unskilled or ill equipped, getting the angle right, the focus and lighting just so, might be an effort--too much for the unsteady hand, the shy poser, the butterfingers...
WA- SEX OFFENDER HOMELESS IN SHELTON
Posted on June 02, 2009This makes no sense, there are no known set of facts that prove a person is a specific risk level, much less any risk, and now because this man is homeless they assess him the highest risk possible. Effectively this is criminalizing him for his social status!6-2-2009 Washington:A sex offender has recently become homeless in the Shelton area and the Mason County Sheriff's Office has raised his
Critics wary of changes to sex offender registry
Posted on June 02, 20096-2-2009 Canada:Tories "tying to look tough on crime": OliphantIt began on Monday morning with a cross-country media blitz. Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers in nearly every major city in the country ? 13 Tories in all, including those at an announcement in Ottawa ? were touting the government's plan to "strengthen" the national sex offender registry...
GA- Sex-registry suit can go on
Posted on June 02, 20096-2-2009 Georgia:Judge allows class action: Ruling strikes down ban on church work by sex offenders.A federal judge on Monday banned the state from enforcing a provision of Georgia?s tough sex-offender law that prohibits offenders from volunteering at churches...
MS- Murder victim was convicted sex offender
Posted on June 02, 2009Here we have a murder and the police are looking for who did it, but more important to the reporter is the man's prior convictions; notice the reporter's sequences of facts in the story!6-2-2009 Mississippi:The Sun Herald has confirmed that the murder victim from a weekend shooting in Moss Point was a convicted sex offender...
NH- Murderer's suit seeks parole
Posted on June 01, 20096-1-2009 New Hampshire:He's refused sex offender program Robert Breest, convicted of murdering an 18-year-old Pembroke woman 38 years ago, is seeking parole through a federal lawsuit filed last week. In his suit, Breest claims he convinced the Department of Correction in Massachusetts, where he's serving 40 years to life, that he should be reclassified from medium to minimum security, leaving
Criminalizing Comic Book Porn
Posted on June 01, 20096-1-2009 Iowa:From Crime & Federalism blog:Interesting case for those of you who follow free speech issues. (UPDATE: Read the comments.) Some dude in Iowa is going to prison for collecting comic book images of cartoon children being molested. At first I thought Ashcroft v...
FL- Florida Epidemic: Teachers Sleeping with Students
Posted on June 01, 20096-1-2009 Florida:If you're the parent of a teen-aged boy in Florida, you probably muttered "not again" while reading your morning newspaper this week. There on the front page was yet another case of an adult female teacher being arrested for admitting to having had sex with an underage male student...
NY- Therapists: Tough to spot women who abuse their pupils
Posted on June 01, 20096-1-2009 New York:She might be lonely and have trouble forming adult relationships. She might believe she has fallen in love. And she could be difficult to spot.In the wake of accusations last week that a West Babylon woman who taught middle school in Queens had a sexual relationship with a student, experts said limited research makes it tough to pin down a profile for female teachers who have
VT- Sex offenders not getting treatment
Posted on June 01, 20096-1-2009 Vermont:BENNINGTON ? Local officials have expressed concerns after learning that the Department of Corrections has not provided treatment for sex offenders living in local communities in Bennington and Rutland counties for several weeks because the contract to provide that service was broken...
Targeting Teens For Sexting
Posted on June 01, 20096-1-2009 National:More Youngsters Are Transmitting Racy Photos Of Themselves Via Cell Phones And The Web, Running Afoul Of Child Porn Laws(CBS) "Sexting" is the new term we apply when people electronically transmit racy, even nude photos of themselves to each other - not the best of ideas, and all the worse when those caught doing it are underage teens...
Ottawa to overhaul ineffective sex-offender registry
Posted on June 01, 2009It appears there is a belief that sex crimes are solved by looking at former offenders (see highlight). If that is what they are implying then they have not looked at their own recidivism stats.6-1-2009 Canada:OTTAWA ? The Conservative government will announce Monday that it will overhaul the national sex-offender registry, which has not been responsible for solving a single sex crime since it
NY- Sex offender law questioned in wake of shooting
Posted on May 31, 20095-31-2009 New York:Miller says he will seek changesALBANY ? At least two of New York?s nine most dangerous sex offenders freed under a two-year old civil confinement law have faced arrest on sex charges again, including one who this week shot a police officer then killed himself...
Peter Cumming's recent speech on "Sexting"
Posted on May 31, 20095-31-2009 Canada:"Sexting" has been in the news recently (see here here and here) as the result of a conference speech ( Youth, Sexuality, and Technology ) by Peter E. Cumming, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Division of Humanities, and Coordinator, Children's Studies Program...
OH- Exclusive: Facebook bans Akron sex offender after nearly 'friending' WKYC
Posted on May 30, 2009And he did nothing wrong, didn't use false information (as a noteable person recently did on a similar site), didn't violate Facebook's Terms of Agreement which says nothing about the alleged policy that former registered sex offenders are not allowed to have accounts; he did nothing wrong!5-29-2009 Ohio:AKRON -- A convicted child molestor had his Facebook profile deleted Friday as the social
LA- Louisiana House Appropriations Committee OKs fee measure to fight Internet crime
Posted on May 30, 2009Notice the absence of any support that Internet crimes are really increasing; heresay legislated.5-29-2009 Louisiana:Internet users in Louisiana would be subject to a new tax under a bill moving through the Legislature that aims to beef up the attorney general's ability to investigate online sex predators...
Saudis Behead, Crucify Convicted Child Molester, Murderer
Posted on May 30, 20095-30-2009 Saudi Arabia: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia ? Saudi authorities beheaded and crucified a man convicted of brutally slaying an 11-year-old boy and his father, the Interior Ministry announced.According to the statement issued by the ministry Friday, shop owner Ahmed al-Anzi molested the boy and then strangled him with a length of rope...
WI- AG Van Hollen: Dane County Circuit Court upholds constitutionality of Wisconsin's sex offender registration statute
Posted on May 29, 2009Throughout the nation there are homeless people, homelessness is not something new. One would think lawmakers would have the mindset to address such a status specifically within these laws; it seems due process would require it. However, there is not one word addressing it in Wisconsin statutes...
MA- Bill would create registry for drug dealers
Posted on May 29, 2009I fully support this idea as it will totally overwhelm the police so that no more criminals can be caught; cuts down on court cases too. Lets do this. Oh, the problem is -if every drug conviction was FORCED to register- we would see some lawmakers on it now wouldn't we? What the heck, according to lawmaker logic, registries make the public safer; go for it!5-29-2009 Massachusetts:Convicted drug
NH- Psychologist interprets sex offender test
Posted on May 29, 20095-29-2009 New Hampshire:Confronted yesterday with a state expert's pessimistic predictions about child molester William Ploof's future, his defense attorney tried a glass-half-full approach. Public defender Lisa Wolford posed this question: If the state believes Ploof's history, failure at treatment and multiple offenses give him a 30 percent to 49 percent chance of re-offending within 10 years,
MI- Bryon Township man sentenced as part of Internet sex sting
Posted on May 29, 20095-26-2009 Michigan Phase-I:GRAND RAPIDS -- A 25-year-old Byron Township man will spend 18 months to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in Kent County Circuit Court to using the Internet to commit child sexually abusive conduct.____ was one of more than 20 men arrested in a sting targeting online predators, conducted by the state Attorney General's Office and the group Perverted Justice.
OH- County to charge sex offenders to register
Posted on May 29, 2009This is ridiculous, with so may registrants being FORCED to Tier III where they must register for life, that is a significant amount of money. In addition, due to the registry many registrants are FORCED to move and will then incurr even greater expenses...
FL- A thoughtful voice tackling what Miami Herald called ?the sex offender mess?
Posted on May 29, 20095-29-2009 Florida:Dr. Jill Levenson, associate professor and chair of human services at Lynn University, is sometimes in the unenviable position of being on the right side of a tough issue. A licensed clinical social worker who got her start 20 years ago as a child protection social worker, she is a nationally known expert on sexual violence and has become a respected authority on, among other
Killed by Law: RSOs and Persons Associated with Sex Offenses
Posted on May 29, 2009National:The following registrants died, directly or substantially, because of the law noted. Clicking on their name will direct you to their stories:SO Residency Law (#Froze to death; ##Law):#Michigan-2009: Thomas Pauli (52)##Georgia 2007: Christopher Barrios (6)SO Public Registry Law(*Shot **Stabbed by vigilantes):**California-2007: Michael Dodele (67)*Maine-2006: Joseph Gray (57)*Maine-2006:
Sexting just teens exploring their sexuality, child-culture expert says
Posted on May 28, 20095-28-2009 Canada:No charges in Canada over dissemination of suggestive imagesTeens who use cellphones to disseminate suggestive messages and images are just doing what teens have always done -- exploring their sexuality -- a researcher in child and youth culture says...
UT- Husband throws more than mere accusations
Posted on May 28, 20095-28-2009 Utah:OGDEN -- Police are investigating a rare case of harassment: fake sex offender registry notices followed by a bucket of feces.The target was a man in an Ogden apartment complex who had a one-night stand with a married co-worker in November...
NY- A call to punish sex offenders using social Web sites
Posted on May 28, 2009Why even bother with such nonsense when, if the person is on probation the probation officer already prohibits such, and if violated the person would go back to prison. So this law would accomplish nothing that isn't already happening! Policital reasons (votes) are behind this waste of the legislature's time!5-27-2009 New York:A Nassau County legislator plans to propose legislation Wednesday
The real cultural predators
Posted on May 28, 20095-28-2009 National:Controversy finally canceled Dateline NBC?s popular ?To Catch a Predator? series. Although it wasn?t the only program to profit from the sordid world of sexual abuse, it was the first to transform audiences? strange fascination with sexual crimes into a commodity...
Horror: Raped Her With Newspapers And Urinated
Posted on May 28, 20095-28-2009 Croatia:She has lived such a profligate life that she will not even notice one rape case, a judge said. Irrelevant of the Law on the equality of genders and Law on preventing discrimination, Croatia still has a long way to go for sexual stereotypes and discrimination against women to end...
FL- State needs to fix the sex offender mess
Posted on May 28, 20095-28-2009 Florida:Thoughtfulness comes too late.The (sex offender) task force charged by the Broward County Commission with finding a way out of the conundrum created by sex offender residency restrictions has listened to experts, crunched numbers and discussed a dismaying array of unintended consequences...
UT- Utah AG Mark Shurtleff slams 'sexting' study
Posted on May 28, 20095-28-2009 Utah:Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has attacked a Canadian professor's recent contention that teenagers should not face child pornography charges for electronically sending nude pictures of themselves to others.Peter Cumming, an associate professor at York University in Toronto, presented a paper to 8,000 researchers in which he maintained that "sexting," or sending nude images
NY- Friend Request Denied
Posted on May 28, 20095-28-2009 New York:When a Level 2 sex offender with a profile on Match.com asked out a fictitious single mom whose profile was created by Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan?s Law, Ahearn contacted the company and demanded that he be banned from the popular dating website...
Stepdad cleared of abuse, can see kids again
Posted on May 27, 20095-26-2009 Canada:Estranged wife hired hitman to kill himA Toronto man -- whose estranged wife hired a hitman to kill him -- was cleared of allegations he molested his stepdaughter. The 40-year-old man who wept on the witness stand while describing the anguish of being estranged from his children was acquitted by Justice Silja Seppi, who found his evidence "resonates as truth...
CA- Parolees in camp must find another place to stay
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 California:Sex offenders argue their options are limited.The paroled sex offenders living alongside Black Rascal Creek must move elsewhere by Friday or face arrest, a state corrections official said Monday."We're not ignorant in the sense that the problem of the transient population will go away," Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation unit supervisor David Domico said...
RI- Senate bill would ban sex offenders from venues used by children
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 Rhode Island:CRANSTON ? So far there?s been no silver-bullet resolution of the controversy over housing convicted sex offenders at a local homeless shelter, but the public outcry has prompted one response ? a possible change in state law. Sen...
NY- A call to punish sex offenders using social Web sites
Posted on May 27, 2009Why even bother with such nonsense when, if the person is on probation the probation officer already prohibits such, and if violated the person would go back to prison. So this law would accomplish nothing that isn't already happening! Policital reasons (votes) are behind this wate of the legislature's time! 5-27-2009 New York:A Nassau County legislator plans to propose legislation Wednesday
AL- State Representative Calls for Sex Offender Law Change
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 Alabama:One state representative is calling for a change in how Alabama handles sex offender cases.Last week, Governor Bob Riley signed two new measures into law. One concerns child predators, the other calls for a valid address for sex offenders...
Analysis: Inside the mind of a cold-blooded psychopath
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 Israel:Adwan Yihya Farhan displays the behavior of a typical psychopath. He doesn't have a conscience, he doesn't have empathy. He kills without reason. He wanted to murder someone and he had the opportunity. At this stage, there are still many facts we don't know, so my analysis should be taken as a professional assessment based on what is known...
DC- Where Would Justice Souter?s Replacement Make A Difference? Part I
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 Washington DC:It has widely been assumed that Justice Souter?s retirement, and replacement by an Obama nominee, would have little effect on the outcome of cases in the Supreme Court, on the theory that Souter?s replacement will likely share his views in large part, at least in cases where the Court is closely divided...
DC- USGovernment's Channel on YouTube
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 Washington DC:The official YouTube channel of the U.S. Government, linking you to videos across government. Visit the playlists and other channels for a wide variety of interesting videos! CLICK MAIN PAGEThere is a wealth of information and videos in the links provided on their channel...
DC- Court Rejects State's Limits on Federal Civil Rights Suits
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 Washington DC:A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled yesterday that New York's efforts to limit prisoners' federal civil rights claims in New York state courts violated the Supremacy Clause.New York moved to restrict prisoner-rights claims in New York state courts under 42 U...
Allocations For 2009 Byrne Justice Assistance Grants Announced
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 National:WASHINGTON, May 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Justice today announced Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 allocations for state and local law enforcement assistance available through the 2009 Omnibus. Funding will be provided through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program which is administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice
MA- Springfield man, 'detained' by neighbors, arrested on child-enticement charges as he is released from hospital
Posted on May 27, 20095-27-2009 Massachusetts:SPRINGFIELD - Was it street justice that led to 61-year-old Randolph Barden's beating by neighbors earlier this month? Or, was it some kind of vendetta on the part of the girls who accused him of attempting to lure them into his car with candy? Barden's lawyer and a Hampden County assistant district attorney laid out their opposing views of Barden's beating in the
DC- D.C. moves to shutter alleged brothels
Posted on May 26, 2009Let me get this straight, Washington DC the home of the righteous, where all the laws are made criminalizing such and similar conduct, is really a Sodom and Gomorrah in disguise? Police close them down and courts FINE them, hey Mr. Court aren't you reading the news as to what money is being spent by the clients of these places for their services? Wise up, if you really want to stop them, make
RI- Senate bill would ban sex offenders from venues used by children
Posted on May 26, 2009Another hair-brain scheme to pigeon hole former sex offenders into Gerbil like runs to prevent seeing any child. Sorry folks, society was not made strictly for children, there and adults and they have the same rights as anyone else; violate them and the walls of Jericho (i...
AL- Officers check on sex offenders during Operation House Call in Mobile County
Posted on May 26, 2009Are we looking at a crime scene photo of a peeping tom? No, it is a law enforcement officer (from an unknown force, see list below) peeping into a RSOs window. I certainly hope the RSO is one on parole or probation, if not, then this is a crime scene photo...
IL- Illinois cracks down on sexting, applies law to all nude images
Posted on May 26, 20095-26-2009 Illinois:Despite moves in Vermont to decriminalize sexting among teens, Illinois has gone in the other direction and passed a law that specifically make passing on mobile pictures illegal.House Bill 2537 makes it a criminal offense to sell or distribute a videotape or nude image of another person without written consent and with the intent to damage a person?s reputation...
Psychiatrists rewriting the mental health bible
Posted on May 26, 20095-26-2009 Global:The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, commonly called DSM, is getting an update. Now experts must decide what is a disorder and what falls in the range of normal human behavior.Is the compulsion to hoard things a mental disorder? How about the practice of eating excessively at night? And what of Internet addiction: Should it be diagnosed and treated?As the
MI- Teen sex convict to remain in custody
Posted on May 26, 2009Apparently mom thinks only STRANGERS will commit sex offenses, mom needs to wake up and teach her children differently as the majority of sex offenses are committed by someone known to the victim. i.e., friend, neighbor, acquaintance etc. I wonder what kind of assault this was, touching or something further which would help understand why the prosecutor went full tilt with 1st degree charges...
Prof: Kids 'sexting' isn't new behavior
Posted on May 26, 20095-26-2009 Global:OTTAWA, May 26 (UPI) -- A Canadian social sciences professor says the uproar over youth sending sexually charged text messages, or "sexting," is overblown.Speaking at the international Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences this week at Ottawa's Carleton University, Dr...
LA- Jindal administration scraps key sex offender bill
Posted on May 26, 20095-26-2009 Louisiana:Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration scrapped the centerpiece of his sex offender proposals on Tuesday after deciding the post-prison "civil commitment" program would be too expensive, a health department spokeswoman said.Lauren Mendes, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Hospitals, said the proposal was dead for the current legislative session...
Bill in Congress - S-1047
Posted on May 26, 20095-26-2009 National:`School And Family Education about the Internet Act of 2009' or the `SAFE Internet Act'Sponsor: Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] Introduced 5/14/2009 Bill: S-1047 Se. Mendendez's Press Release on this bill: "KEEPING CHILDREN AND TEENS SAFE ONLINE: SEN...
CA- Elementary school students suspended for kill list and sexual threats
Posted on May 25, 2009Clearly the sexual issues are the result of all the political hate speeches about former now registered sex offenders, and real sex offenders who are committing crimes today. This is what political speeches are teaching to today's youth (esp. children of RSOs who not only hear it but also live it)...
Cat Thoughts --- You Will Laugh...
Posted on May 25, 2009'But You Said You Loved Me!' 'You will pay, as God is my witness, you will pay.''You call this water warm???''I don't think I like you anymore..''You Lied !!!!!!''E.T. Phone home......quick!''No, I'm not your Good Little Kitty anymore.''Traction.....I'm losing Traction!''I want my Mommmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!''No, no, no, no...
MI- Are savings from freeing felons worth risk to safety?
Posted on May 24, 20095-24-2009 Michigan:Some fear more crime; state assures safetyA nearly 30-year-old Michigan prison policy -- roughly characterized as: "When in doubt, lock 'em up" -- is ending.In the midst of -- and partly in response to -- the economic crisis, many of the state's expensive prison cells are being emptied...
VT- Ex-con's magazine focuses on advocacy, prison life
Posted on May 24, 20095-24-2009 Vermont:WEST BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) ? To prison inmates, he's a jailhouse lawyer made good.To wardens, he's a thorn in the side.To prison advocates, Paul Wright is a success story: Once a killer, then a prisoner, now a journalist with a cause...
The DNA Debacle: How the Federal Government Botched the DNA Backlog Crisis
Posted on May 24, 2009DNA samples are being taken from many more folks than there was in the past, these samples are included in the numbers of those awaiting analysis.5-24-2009 National:Kellie Greene spent three years living in fear, waiting for police to catch the stranger who raped her...
Murder and Rape DNA Test Backlog Hits 350,000
Posted on May 24, 2009While they claim just murder & rape I strongly suspect this includes all kinds of crime scene evidence from all kinds of crimes. Further, these numbers seem to support a need for legislation (HR-2462 `Convicted Child Sex Offender DNA Index System Support Act') I would still be against HR-2462 because of the Golden Egg methods it wants to follow...
United Way makes huge cuts to agencies
Posted on May 24, 2009This is a major hit to agencies that provide services to many homeless folks and in some places that includes sex offenders. It is the agency that makes the decision on whether or not to provide the service to sex offenders not United Way.5-24-2009 National:The United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, struggling with declining numbers of donors, has offset its losses this year with some huge cuts to
Pornographic videos flood YouTube
Posted on May 24, 20095-24-2009 Global:Video-sharing website YouTube has removed hundreds of pornographic videos which were uploaded in what is believed to be a planned attack.The material was uploaded under names of famous teenage celebrities such as Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers...
NC- Deputies Charge Sex Offender; Had Social Networking Web Site
Posted on May 23, 20095-23-2009 North Carolina:Deputies have charged a registered sex offender with more charges after authorities discovered he had an account on a social networking web site.Christopher Rossio was arrested on two counts of 3rd degree sexual exploitation of a minor...
CA- Failed hard drive becomes issue in predator sting case
Posted on May 23, 2009When you need a comvenience store you can never find one, but you can always create one. We will be following this very interesting case.5-21-2009 California A Sonoma County judge wants additional testimony from a prosecution witness in the case against an East Bay oncologist arrested in a televised ?online sex-predator? sting three years ago in Petaluma...
MI- Former Cedar Springs soccer coach asks for forgiveness, but judge denies request for more lenient sentence in Internet sex sting case
Posted on May 23, 20095-21-2009 Michigan: (Phase-I)GRAND RAPIDS -- A 21-year-old former junior varsity boys soccer coach at Cedar Springs Schools today was sentenced to six months in jail and another six months on a tether after he was caught in an Internet sex predator sting...
TN- County Debates Sex Offenders On School Property
Posted on May 23, 2009How do you spell "contempt of court," right provide the grounds for a lawsuit, real smart.5-23-2009 Tennessee:ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. - A state law states that a convicted sex offender is able to visit their child's school. The Cheatham County School board met Thursday to discuss how they can follow the state law and keep the students in the district safe...
NC- New law prohibits sex offenders from living near college campuses
Posted on May 23, 2009Collectively this spells STUPID, is there a full brain in this legislature? A RSO can attend the college but cannot live within 2,000 feet, and already none live nearer than 2 miles away. Someone is on drugs or no one can be reading what is put before them, there can't be this many blunder-heads in one place, much less all got elected...
TX- Convict to return to prison for jailhouse romance
Posted on May 23, 20095-23-2009 Texas:FORT WORTH ? Just two years after being released from prison, Wesley Wayne Miller, convicted of the 1982 murder of a high school cheerleader, is returning to a state lockup.Miller, 46, violated the terms of his civil commitment three times, including having a romantic relationship with a 21-year-old female jailer at the Cold Springs Jail last year...
S.C. blocked from filing charges against Craigslist executives
Posted on May 23, 2009Hummm, well if the AG is going to sue the Craigs' List execs for aiding and abetting prostitution, if there were any cases, it also seems fair that EVERY STATE AG should also be so sued, as they did nothing about Craigs list from its inception. Right?5-23-2009 National:COLUMBIA, S...
IA- New sex offender restrictions signed into law by Culver
Posted on May 23, 20095-23-2009 Iowa:Revised restrictions on convicted sex offenders were signed into law today by Gov. Chet Culver, under a bill that several key law enforcement officials said will better protect Iowans.?This bill is going to give us the tools to make Iowa a little bit safer and all of our kids a little bit better off,? said Louisa County Sheriff Curt Braby, who is also president of the Iowa State
Gohmert Grills US Attorney General Eric Holder on National Security, Hate Crimes
Posted on May 21, 2009Only the first 5 minutes on Hate Crimes:
NC- Bill would further define limits for sex offenders
Posted on May 21, 20095-21-2009 North Carolina:Chapel Hill, N.C. ? Registered sex offenders could be banned from more places under a bill in the General Assembly that would change the existing rule that keeps them 300 feet from places primarily catering to children.Under state law, sex offenders cannot be at schools, children's museums, day cares, playgrounds or other locations intended for children...
NY- Locals rally against Steve Levy's sex offender trailers
Posted on May 21, 20095-21-2009 New York:Toting signs that read "Share the Burden" and "Protect our Children," some 45 locals gathered at the Riverside traffic circle Friday to protest the county policy of housing homeless sex offenders in trailers in Riverside and Westhampton...
WV- Two men indicted on incest charges in W.Va.
Posted on May 21, 2009The only thing important in this article is, the gentleman who was indicted for "... using a false user name on an e-mail site." While we don't know what the e-mail site was for which MAY make a difference, we do know this: The U.S. Supreme court has ruled a person is well within his rights to be on the Internet and reamin anonymous...
AK- Lottery assault leads to 3-year sentence
Posted on May 20, 20095-20-2009 Alaska:The man accused of attacking the winner of Alaska's biggest lottery with a metal pipe or rod pleaded guilty this week to a reduced charge of second-degree assault, a prosecutor said. Brandon Hughes, a 20-year-old from the Los Angeles area, was sentenced to three years in prison under a plea bargain, said prosecutor Clint Campion...
MA- Sex Offender Registry Board Workers Questioned Over Facebook Use
Posted on May 20, 2009These workers (article shows plural) should be fired and replaced by folks who are professionals and take their jobs seriously!5-20-2009 Massachusetts:Team 5 Investigates Uncovers BiasBOSTON -- For Tyson Lynch, Facebook is as much about social networking as it is a way to tell friends about his confidential state job deciding who is a threat to you and your children...
Bill in Congress - HR 2462
Posted on May 20, 20094-20-2009 National:`Convicted Child Sex Offender DNA Index System Support Act'.Sponsor: Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3]Introduced 5/18/2009 Bill HR 2462The STATED intent of the bill is: To eliminate the backlog in performing DNA analyses of DNA samples collected from convicted child sex offenders, and for other purposes...
Do Interactive Websites Have a Legal Duty to Remove Malicious Content?
Posted on May 20, 20095-20-2009 National:At times, people post damaging false or private information about others on websites, and in Internet chat rooms. What happens if someone finds himself or herself to be the target of such postings ? yet the website is slow to de-post, despite promises that it will do so?A recent decision by the U...
AR- Why, oh God, am I homeless?
Posted on May 20, 20095-20-2009 Arkansas:Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of stories exploring homelessness in northwest Arkansas. The stories are written by David Lanier, a former sports editor of The Benton County Daily Record, who has been homeless for the better part of the past five years...
FL- Sex Offenders Forced To Live Under Miami Bridge
Posted on May 20, 20095-20-2009 Florida:In Miami, a causeway in the middle of Biscayne Bay has become home to one of the county's least desirable populations: sex offenders. What began a few years ago as a stopgap solution has become de facto public policy. For sex offenders with few resources who want to stay in Miami, there's just one option: an encampment of tents and shacks on the Julia Tuttle Causeway...
Monitoring federal agencies for changes in rules and guidelines
Posted on May 19, 20095-19-2009 National:Why is this important to monitor for changes?Well simply because federal agencies have jurisdiction of various federal laws and are able to change, add to, or otherwise amend those rules or guidelines, and such activity may affect a person covered by that federal law...
ME- Man arrested with rifle complained of 'pedophiles'
Posted on May 19, 20095-18-2009 Maine:Herbert Jones, 46, said he was targeting people in an AA meeting in a church behind Portland High School. A school resource officer nabbed him.5:30 p.m.PORTLAND -- Portland police say a man arrested with a high-powered rifle this morning outside an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in a church basement claimed there were pedophiles inside...
NC- Sheriff: Inmate had been in fight (Jailed for Failure to Register as a Homeless Person)
Posted on May 19, 20095-19-2009 North Carolina:MORGANTON - The inmate who apparently killed himself in jail on Thursday was recovering from injuries he received during a jail fightTimothy Lee Hurd, 48, a Catawba County inmate at the Burke-Catawba District Confinement Facility, was pronounced dead just before 10 p...
KS- Vigilante mom relieved to see molester sentenced
Posted on May 19, 20095-19-2009 Kansas:Wichita ? An admitted child molester who was on the receiving end of some vigilante justice by his victim's mother was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Friday.One week ago, it looked like Scott Phillips might go free, even after a jury convicted him of fondling an 8-year-old girl...
MI- Cedar Springs man pleads guilty, sentenced to year in jail as part of Internet sex sting; father says it was entrapment
Posted on May 19, 20095-18-2009 Michigan: (Phase-I)GRAND RAPIDS -- ____ chatted online with a girl he thought was just 14, and even drove by what he thought was her Grand Rapids Township home.But he never met with the teen and, when police working with on an Internet predator sting caught up with ____, the 34-year-old insurance representative was more than 20 miles from the girl's alleged home...
OH- Sex Offenders List Park Benches, Woods As Address
Posted on May 19, 20095-19-2009 Ohio:Park benches, wooded areas, alleys - they are all addresses given by homeless convicted sex offenders. The Hamilton County Sheriff says that makes it especially hard to check on them when they don't report to authorities, as required by law...
KY- CJ wins fight over sex-offender database
Posted on May 19, 20095-19-2009 Kentucky:A Franklin Circuit Court judge has ruled that the Kentucky State Police must provide The Courier-Journal with a copy of its sex-offender registry database under the state?s open records law.Shepherd?s ruling Friday affirms an opinion last year from Attorney General Jack Conway?s office that the material is public record ? an opinion state police had challenged in an appeal to
CA- Excessive-force allegations at Coalinga hospital probed
Posted on May 19, 20095-19-2009 California:Coalinga State Hospital scuffle prompts patient accusations.Coalinga State Hospital is investigating allegations that public safety officers used excessive force on a patient during a scuffle last week.A spokeswoman for the hospital for sex offenders said the altercation Thursday began when a patient being escorted by staff to his room became agitated, prompting public
NJ- SEX FELONS MUST MOVE, COURT SAYS
Posted on May 19, 20095-19-2009 New Jersey:KEARNY - New Jersey will have to find a new place to house sexually violent predators currently being held in Hudson County. An appeals court yesterday gave the New Jersey State Department of Corrections a year to move the offenders from the county correctional facility along Lincoln Highway in Kearny, where they've been held since August 1999...
NJ- How a Photo Can Ruin Your Life
Posted on May 18, 20095-4-2007 New Jersey:Your family photos could get you arrested. Just ask one New Jersey grandmother.Three-year-old Sarah M. is either a toddler in her birthday suit playing in the garden, or a nude temptress with a sultry look who requires protection from the culprits who took this photograph -- her doting parents...
FL- Family says I-4 rage led to mooning
Posted on May 18, 20095-25-2007 Florida:If convicted of flashing a teenager, the man could receive 15 years in prison and be a sex offender.SANFORD - A family driving west on Interstate 4 in a silver Mercedes-Benz on Sunday evening made the men in the black Chevrolet Tahoe mad...
CO- Students question streaker penalty
Posted on May 18, 20099-28-2007 Colorado:17-year-old may have to register as sex offender, if convictedIt's no official holiday, but a number of students at Boulder High School will be celebrating "Free Mason" day today.Mason Lacy, a 17-year-old senior and the impromptu holiday's namesake, will not be in attendance...
UT- Streaking student may face jail time
Posted on May 18, 20099-21-2007 Utah:A Pleasant Grove teen may face jail time after streaking during the Pleasant Grove High School homecoming pageant.An 18-year-old student at Pleasant Grove High school allegedly ran across the stage in the school's auditorium."We know who the suspect is," said Pleasant Grove police Capt...
WV- 'Sex offender' at Concord was merely a streaker: Imprecise categories on Pennsylvania Registry causes misunderstanding
Posted on May 18, 20092-2-2005 West Virginia:Concord University has a registered sex offender on the faculty, college officials confirmed Tuesday ? but he?s actually just a streaker. James Edward Parker, 58, is listed on the Pennsylvania sex offender registry as having committed ?indecent assault,? defined as sexual touching of a child under 13...
MN- Man Loses Fight to Avoid Listing on Sex Offenders' Registry
Posted on May 18, 20098-7-2003 Minnesota:A Minnesota man must register as a sex offender even though he has not been convicted of a sex crime, the federal appeals court in St. Louis ruled yesterday. That ruling "turns reason and fairness on its head," wrote Judge C. Arlen Beam, who nonetheless concurred in the unanimous decision of the three-judge panel of the court...
TN- DCS lists teen dad-to-be as sexual abuser because of age gap
Posted on May 18, 200910-29-2004 Tennessee:NASHVILLE, Tenn. An 18-year-old dad-to-be is being listed as a sexual abuser by the Department of Children's Services because his girlfriend was 13 when he married her out of state. Robert Benjamin Martin could be charged with statutory rape under Tennessee law because it is a crime for someone to have sex with a person under age 16 if there is at least a four-year age
WI- Teens who have sex charged with abuse: DAs are prosecuting even when both consent
Posted on May 18, 20093-8-2004 Wisconsin:Wisconsin: The LawWisconsin's child abuse law makes it a felony for anyone to engage in sexual activity with someone younger than 16. It applies to consensual sex, even between teens of the same age. Last summer, when she was made pregnant by her boyfriend at age 15, Sarah, a shy girl with a pretty face, went to a clinic with her mother for consultation...
PA- Teen who posted own photo charged with child porn
Posted on May 18, 20093-29-2004 Pennsylvania:State police have charged a 15-year-old Latrobe girl with child pornography for taking photos of herself and posting them on the Internet.Police said the girl, whose identity they withheld, photographed herself in various states of undress and performing a variety of sexual acts...
VA- 16 Year Old Girls Charged with Disseminating their Own Brand of Child Porn
Posted on May 18, 20094-7-2004 Virginia:Two Northside High School girls who took nude pictures of themselves and e-mailed them to their boyfriends last year said they only did it to be flirtatious. It wasn't long before they realized the consequences: loss of friends, no more school activities, seeing themselves on Internet sites and felony charges...
ME- Worker jailed for sex with inmate
Posted on May 18, 20097-23-2005 Maine:BANGOR ? A former kitchen worker at the Penobscot County Jail has been ordered to spend 30 days behind bars for having sex with an inmate. Dawn Chambers, 44, pleaded guilty Thursday in Penobscot County Superior Court to one count of gross sexual assault...
IL- He grabbed girl's arm -- now he's a sex offender
Posted on May 18, 20097-2-2005 Illinois:Fitzroy Barnaby said he had to swerve to avoid hitting the 14-year-old Des Plaines girl who walked in front of his car. She said he yelled, "Come here, little girl," before getting out of his car and grabbing her by the arm. He said he simply lectured her...
UT- Teen Mother Ruled A Sex Offender
Posted on May 18, 200912-31-2005 Utah:SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Utah Court of Appeals is upholding a judge's refusal to dismiss a sexual abuse allegation against a 13-year-old Ogden girl who became pregnant by her 12-year-old boyfriend.The appeals court on Friday ruled that the law's ``rigorous protections'' for younger minors include protecting them from each other...
MI- Online prank ends with child porn charges for teen
Posted on May 18, 20092-24-2006 Michigan:WAYLAND (NEWS 3) - It may have started as a prank, but police in Wayland have another name for Ryan Zylstra's decision to take pictures of classmates having sex: a felony. The 17-year old was arrested and charged with manufacturing, distributing, and using a computer for child pornography...
FL- Police blotter: Teens prosecuted for racy photos
Posted on May 18, 20092-9-2007 Florida:What: Teenagers taking risque photos of themselves are prosecuted for violating child pornography laws. When: Florida state appeals court rules on January 19. Outcome: A 2-1 majority upholds conviction on grounds the girl produced a photograph featuring the sexual conduct of a child...
RI- State lawmakers debate who needs GPS tracking
Posted on May 18, 20095-18-2009 Rhode Island:More than 90 convicted sex offenders listed on Rhode Island?s public notification Web site are considered a high risk to re-offend.Those who are now monitored using a global positioning system that tracks movements with regular updates by satellite signal? One...
TX- In Texas Legislature, not all bills seek tougher rules for sex offenders
Posted on May 18, 20095-18-2009 Texas:AUSTIN ? Some state lawmakers want to tweak how Texas deals with sex offenders, sparking a thorny debate over how to strike the right balance between protecting children and allowing low-risk offenders to avoid a lifetime of shame.Bills this session would regulate how sex offenders use the Internet, bar them from certain jobs and require homeless offenders to report regularly to
NJ- Morris child molester attacked by girl's mother before his sentencing
Posted on May 18, 20095-18-2009 New Jersey:MORRISTOWN -- A Morris County man who was awaiting sentencing for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl got attacked by her mother in a hallway outside the courtroom today.Just before Pascual Gonzalez, 39, was sentenced to five years in state prison in Superior Court in Morristown, Sheriff's officers had to restrain the mother from attacking Gonzalez...
NH- Graffiti targets businesses, sex offender
Posted on May 18, 20095-18-2009 New Hampshire:PORTSMOUTH ? At least seven Islington Street businesses were painted with grafitti over the weekend, some with messages targeting a sex offender from the area.?Charly Paul rapes children 20 years get out of town,? someone painted on the side of Kline's furniture...
IL- Flier ID's Innocent Man As Sex Offender
Posted on May 18, 20095-18-2009 Illinois:Man With No Criminal Record Learns About Flier Identifying Him As a Sex OffenderGENEVA, Ill. - A flier distributed in this western suburb of Chicago calls a real estate agent a sex offender when the man actually has no criminal record, authorities said...
VT- Sex offender files suit against police detective
Posted on May 17, 20095-17-2009 Vermont:BARRE ? A repeat sex offender from Winooski who was jailed on a new sex-crime charge in late 2007, and later had the charge dropped, is suing the state police detective who investigated that case.John Grenier, 44, filed the lawsuit in U...
TX- Texas' Expanding Sex Offender Registration Requirements
Posted on May 17, 20095-17-2009 Texas:Sex offender registration statutes are not a recent occurrence; for almost twenty years, Texas has required some form of registration for those convicted of certain sex-based offenses. In 1991, the Texas legislature passed the first -- of what would become many -- sex offender registration laws, this one requiring those convicted of incest, sexual assault or indecency to register
SD- A long wait for justice
Posted on May 17, 20095-17-2009 South Dakota:Innocent man's name cleared after more than 20 yearsFLANDREAU - Irvin Schoenwetter's big right hand is roughened by hard work.Dirt from the tires he handles all day darkens his fingernails.For more than 20 years, few people wanted to shake that hand...
NJ- Secaucus law sex offenders voided
Posted on May 17, 2009One way to interpret this ruling is, since initilly Megan's law merely required the publishing of name and address, is everything beyond that, also illegal? Think about that....5-17-2009 New Jersey:Supreme Court rules Megan?s Law is enoughThe New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that a 1994 state law to protect children from sex offenders is sufficient and that stricter municipal laws are
GPS Accuracy Could Start Dropping in 2010
Posted on May 16, 20095-16-2009 Global:We've all become accustomed to using the Global Positioning System, or GPS, whether via our iPhones, car navigation devices, handheld GPS units, or even watch-based devices like the Garmin Forerunner series. The GPS system went into full operation in December of 1993, was declared a dual-use (military and civilian) system by President Bill Clinton in 1996, and in 2000 had "
ME- Sex offender bills win committee?s OK
Posted on May 16, 20095-16-2009 Maine:Last-minute deal on registry petitions, housing sends measures to full Legislature AUGUSTA, Maine ? Legislation that would restrict a community?s ability to control where sex offenders live in town is headed to the full Legislature after a last-minute compromise received a favorable vote in committee on Friday...
Windows 7 was released, will your system handle it?
Posted on May 16, 20095-16-2009 Global:Hi folks, technology moves on whether we like that or not.On May 5th Microsoft released its new version of "Windows 7" their new operating system for all personal computers (PCs); well not really ALL... Not for MACs either.Someday in the future we will be forced to move to Windows 7, but the question is, can our computers handle it, or are we going to have to buy new ones?Grrrr
KS- Poll: Is Kansas correct to give inmates limited e-mail access?
Posted on May 15, 20095-14-2009 Kansas:State hopes to reduce contraband, screening choresKansas prisoners will soon have access to limited electronic banking, e-mail and video family visitations.It is all part of a move by the Kansas Department of Corrections to improve security in state prisons and reduce contraband, all while reducing staff time to screen regular mail...
CT- Warrant out for ex-CVS pharmacist for kinky Craigslist ad
Posted on May 15, 20095-15-2009 Connecticut:Nine months after The Hour alerted the public that a CVS pharmacist had allegedly used a customer's personal information to post a kinky sex ad on Craigslist about her, police have applied for a warrant for his arrest.Jonathan Medina -- formerly a pharmacist at the CVS branch on the corner of Westport Avenue and Willard Road -- will be charged with two counts of
CA- Man found guilty of murdering cellmate
Posted on May 15, 20095-15-2009 California:STOCKTON - Jurors found a 41-year-old man guilty Thursday of first-degree murder for killing his cellmate in 2007 at Tracy's Deuel Vocational Institution because he wouldn't stop talking.According to trial testimony, Richard Henry Kase repeatedly told Randy James Rabelos, 28, to be quiet one night before he punched his cellmate in the throat, shoved a towel down his throat,
MN- Eighth Circuit upholds civil commitment provision of the Adam Walsh Act.
Posted on May 15, 20095-15-2009 Minnesota:In 1997, Roger Dean Tom pled guilty to one count of illegally crossing state lines with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor. Tom was sentenced to 120 months in prison and 60 months of supervised release. Two days prior to his release, the United States initiated civil commitment proceedings against Tom under 18 U...
AL- Alabama House completes passage of new sex offender address notice bill
Posted on May 15, 2009There ought to be a law against electing officials who lack reasonableness, or the ability to see that a proposed law is nothing but stupid! If someone is out of prison even they cannot tell where 2,000 foot markers are so they can rent a proper residence, how the heck are folks in prison going to do it? All squirrels are not in trees...
MI- Court fails to release closed hearing transcript in beheading case
Posted on May 15, 2009UPDATE of earlier case:5-15-2009 Michigan:Detroit -- Although the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled two weeks ago that a Wayne County Circuit judge improperly took testimony behind closed doors while considering a new trial for a Plymouth Township teen convicted last year of killing, beheading and burning a friend, no record of that testimony has been made public...
NY- The Misuse of Statistics by Parents for Megan's Law
Posted on May 15, 20095-15-2009 New York:Over at Sex Offenders - A Reality Based Discussion I found this rather interesting post re: misuse/mistating of statistics and thought folks may like to read it:I've been exploring Parents for Megan's Law's web site. It actually has some pretty good material with which I agree, like their tips on prevention...
GU- Court acquits man, cites confusion over law
Posted on May 15, 20095-15-2009 Guam:Douglas Lee Harrison was acquitted yesterday of a federal charge that he failed to register as a sex offender, after a judge found there was insufficient evidence he knowingly violated what she called confusing local and federal laws.Harrison was indicted Feb...
States expand videoconferencing in prisons
Posted on May 14, 20095-14-2009 National:Faced with the high costs of transporting and escorting sick inmates to the doctor, states are expanding their use of videoconferencing to provide health consultations to prisoners without resorting to costly ? and sometimes dangerous ? off-site trips...
NC- Bill Would Immunize Social Websites From Sex Offender Liability
Posted on May 14, 20095-14-2009 North Carolina:Social networking websites could be off the hook from lawsuits when they?re being used by sex offenders to find targets. House Bill 1267 passed the Science and Technology Committee in Raleigh on Wednesday. If adopted, the social websites would not be liable for damages if they make good faith attempts to screen out users listed on the state sex offender registry.
TX- Editorial: Texas Rep. Todd Smith?s sex offender registration bill is a common-sense revision
Posted on May 14, 20095-14-2009 Texas:The Texas Legislature is on its way to adding a shade more reasonableness to its get-tough laws on sex offender registration.HB 3148 by Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, would slightly broaden the registration exemption for those convicted of consensual sex with a minor...
Internet-safety bill takes aim at sexting
Posted on May 14, 20095-14-2009 National:WASHINGTON - Cyberspace can be a dangerous place for young people, and the federal government has to start backing programs to teach students what to avoid and adults what to do when something goes wrong, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said Wednesday...
NH- NH bill tougher on those who lie about murders
Posted on May 14, 2009CONCORD, N.H.?The New Hampshire Senate sent the governor a bill Wednesday that holds people accountable indefinitely for lying about murders.The bill would remove any time limit on when people can be prosecuted for giving false information about a murder...
NJ- High court upholds no-parole sentences
Posted on May 14, 20095-14-2009 New Jersey:The state Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of replacing the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison without parole for a onetime death-row inmate from Middlesex County if a jury can find the necessary qualifying factors...
IA- Suspected rapist shot and killed by West Des Moines police
Posted on May 14, 20095-13-2009 Iowa:Police shot and killed a man in a West Des Moines townhouse Tuesday night. He was reportedly a suspect in a series of home break-ins and at least three sexual assaults in West Des Moines and Waukee over the past several months. West Des Moines Police Lieutenant Jeff Miller says it happened about 7 P...
MD- Sex-offender registry passes muster
Posted on May 14, 20095-14-2009 Maryland:The state?s sex offender registry law does not violate a former inmate?s constitutional rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, the Court of Special Appeals has held. A lawyer for the ex-offender, who filed his lawsuit as a John Doe, said he may seek review from the state?s highest court...
FL- Bad bus behavior gets 3
Posted on May 14, 20095-14-2009 Florida:One student's parent feels charges are too harshSANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WALA) - Three middle school students were put behind bars this week for felony molestation charges. Deputies say the three students were bullying another student on the school bus, and it went too far...
MA- Sex offender rehab house idea draws Lynn council president's fire
Posted on May 13, 2009It never ceases to amaze me when I think I've heard it all, along comes Mr. one-ups-manship to take us even deeper in the pile of errr.... We need to send 100,000 RSOs to his city so they can drive through it and stop to use the bathroom.2-13-2009 Massachusetts:LYNN - The City Council's Ordinance Committee today is expected to discuss a proposal to establish a halfway house in Lynn to assist in
VT- Editorial: Sex offender residency limits offer no security
Posted on May 13, 20092-13-2009 Vermont:The challenge against the Barre City ordinance restricting where registered sex offenders may live was almost inevitable given the raft of questions about individual rights and due process involved.The residency restrictions are a perfectly understandable attempt to keep the community safe from a truly heinous crime, yet deeply troubling in that it seeks to punish even
Highlighting Norms Can Reduce Crime
Posted on May 13, 20092-13-2009 National:There is a common perception that public service messaging is not as effective as commercial messaging in influencing people's behavior. According to research (pdf) by Professor Robert Cialdini, even though commercial messages often have greater budgets and production values, there may be an unintended psychological message in many PSAs that undermines their public interest
CA- Police Use GPS To Track, Nab Alleged Rapist
Posted on May 13, 2009This guy gives new meaning to the phrase dumb criminal. In addition, this case is proof that GPS units DO NOT PREVENT crimes.5-13-2009 California:MORENO VALLEY (CBS) ? This is a case for "Forensic Files." Police in Moreno Valley arrested a registered sex offender Tuesday after reportedly tracking the suspect using his DNA and GPS for an alleged sexual assault committed against a Moreno Valley
WI- Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police
Posted on May 13, 20095-13-2009 Wisconsin:MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody's movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday.However, the District 4 Court of Appeals said it was "more than a little troubled" by that conclusion and asked Wisconsin lawmakers to regulate GPS use to protect against abuse by police and private individuals...
OH- Mason Teens Sentenced In 'Sexting' Case
Posted on May 13, 2009See earlier stories here and here:5-13-2009 Ohio:MASON -- Two Mason teenagers who admitted sharing nude photos over cell phones have been sentenced.The teens, a boy and girl, both 15, pleaded guilty to charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, misdemeanors of the first degree...
VT- 2009 Vt. Legislative Wrapup
Posted on May 13, 20095-13-2009 Vermont:When the legislature adjourned Saturday they had made history by passing a civil marriage bill allowing same-sex couples to marry."The bill passed in a few weeks and for the first time in a long time a governor's veto was overridden," said Eric Davis, a political scientist...
MI- Sex offender __ convicted of loitering near school
Posted on May 13, 2009Is this a case of entrapment?5-13-2009 Michigan:MUSKEGON COUNTY -- A Norton Shores sex offender has been convicted of loitering near a school and of failing to pay a sex-offender registration fee, but acquitted of two other school loitering counts.The misdemeanor verdicts came Friday in the case of ___, 45, of 5982 Lake Harbor, after a bench trial heard by 60th District Judge Michael J...
Police Used GPS Illegally, Court Rules
Posted on May 13, 2009Interesting, New York says UNCONSTITUTIONAL but in WIsconsin its CONSTITUTIONAL, is the U.S. Supreme court in the futre for this issue?5-13-2009 New York:In a 4-to-3 ruling, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that the State Police violated a criminal suspect?s rights under the State Constitution when it placed a GPS tracking device inside the bumper of his van without obtaining
CA- Stanford law students helping to free 3-strikes inmates
Posted on May 13, 2009If you think this is not applicable, read carefully and inbetween the lines of my highlights.5-13-2009 California:STANFORD, Calif. ? Norman Williams feared he would be an old man if he was ever allowed to leave the granite walls of Folsom State Prison...
Why Sexting Should Not Be Prosecuted as "Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor"
Posted on May 13, 20095-13-2009 National:In a recent column for this site (Findlaw site), I took issue with an attempt to prosecute teenagers' "sexting" ? that is, the practice of sending semi-nude or nude photos of each other via cellphone ? under anti-child-pornography laws...
FL- A false alarm puts scare into sex victims
Posted on May 12, 2009Lets see, what is it that Florida law enforcement does well?5-12-2009 Florida:Thousands of Floridians were mistakenly warned that sex offenders were no longer on the state's registry that tracks their whereabouts.Eleven thousand Floridians -- many of them recovering victims of sexual assaults -- were notified over the weekend that the state would no longer be tracking registered sex offenders
NC- Church among activities off limits to sex offenders
Posted on May 12, 20095-12-2009 North Carolina:RALEIGH ? If they want to repent their sins, sex offenders in Buncombe County and elsewhere had better do it at home.Some church services are among the activities that are off limits because of tough restrictions on registered sex offenders' movements, passed all but unanimously last year by state lawmakers who invoked a young girl's tragic murder...
The "Pedophile-Issue" in the Hate Crimes bill HR-1913 and How It Came To Be..
Posted on May 12, 20095-12-2009 National:To understand how the issue of "pedophiles" was morphed into the Hate Crimes bill one must first understand how rules are made in the U.S. House (The Senate has a similar process which I will not get into). This explanation is long but there is no other way to get to how the "Pedophile-Issue" was morphed into the Hate Crimes legislation...
The economy has really hit Michigan, if your arrest includes the use of a police canine dog, you might be paying for dog biscuits
Posted on May 12, 20095-12-2009 Michigan:Sometimes a little levity in life is needed, today Michigan provides that for us.A new bill being proposed allows a judge to require a person convicted of certain crimes to pay for various costs related to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of their crime/s...
US wins first seat on UN rights council
Posted on May 12, 20095-12-2009 National:The United States won a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council for the first time along with four countries accused of serious human rights violations ? Cuba, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia.Former President George W. Bush's administration boycotted the council over its repeated criticism of Israel and its refusal to cite flagrant rights abuses in Sudan and elsewhere...
Sex abuse claim 'led to victim bashing'
Posted on May 11, 20095-11-2009 Australia:A MAN has been bashed to within an inch of his life after making claims of abuse against a doctor - with links to the NT - who then committed suicide. Simon Todd Bennett, 30, has been charged with attempted murder over an attack on Will Meinhardt at his East Malvern home two weeks ago...
FL- E-mail identified wrong man as sex offender
Posted on May 11, 20095-11-2009 Florida:Mix-up offers a cautionary tale to those who hit 'send' in hasteEAST MANATEE - Thomas Carpenter's job as a tae kwon do instructor for children requires a high level of trust from parents.In one lesson, Carpenter plays the role of a creep who grabs the children's shoulders; to get away, the elementary school-age students thrust up their arms to push off Carpenter's hands before
What Have We Become?
Posted on May 10, 2009Note: A few of the example were mixed, so I corrected them and added links to the stories.5-10-2009 National:There has always been the occasional sociopath amidst our ranks. We used to hope we could count on our laws to protect us by providing appropriate sanctions to deter them from harming us...
Sexting poses risk to teens? health, warns expert
Posted on May 10, 20095-10-2009 National:A Binghamton University expert in New York says that parents should beware of ?sexting??the latest trend of sending sexually charged messages or images via cell phones?because it may post dangers to their teenaged kids? health. Mary Muscari, an Associate Professor in the Decker School of Nursing, says that sexting can result in young lives being lost to suicide or shattered by
NJ- N.J. court rejects sex-offender residency bans
Posted on May 10, 2009Folks, I could not resist. The NJ high court said "local residency ordinances frustrate the purpose of Megan's law" invalidating all local residency ordinances.So lawmakers say, "OK, we will give the power to local authorities to enact local residency laws (read article below), or state lawmakers will create a statewide residency law...
OH- Sex offenders? behavior hard to explain
Posted on May 10, 20095-10-2009 Ohio:One psychologist says, ?It?s ... very smart people doing very stupid things.?What causes successful, high-profile individuals to risk so much for seemingly so little?Local psychologists say people who commit sex-related crimes often are driven by an obsessive streak and deluded by denial into thinking their crimes aren?t serious and they?re unlikely to be caught...
Internet, sex addictions go hand in hand
Posted on May 10, 20095-10-2009 National:In more than 10 years of treating patients for serious sex and Internet addictions, Dr. David Greenfield said he has never seen a case like that of Greenwich investor Stephen Dent, who became a repeated victim of extortion after interacting with women he met online...
VT- Vt. OK's a broader offender registry
Posted on May 10, 20095-10-2009 Vermont:MONTPELIER - Lawmakers passed a bill yesterday quintupling the size of the state's Internet sex offender registry to protect "families and communities and kids."The action, which came as the Legislature prepared to adjourn for the year, moves the state closer to but still not into full compliance with a 2006 federal law designed to make responses to sex crimes more uniform
Internet may be to blame for growth of child abuse, psychologist says
Posted on May 10, 20095-10-2009 Scotland:The internet may be responsible for creating a new breed of sex criminals, a leading clinical psychologist has warned. Speaking in the wake of Scotland?s most serious paedophile conspiracy trial, Ethel Quayle, a child abuse expert, said that the opportunity to access instant images of abuse appeared to be responsible for the emergence of ?novel behaviour? in some men,
A Crime He Didn't Commit
Posted on May 10, 20095-10-2009 Canada:Fifty years ago, a gawky Canadian boy named Steven Truscott offered a bike ride to his schoolmate Lynne Harper, 12, a petite girl with a mop of auburn curls.She scooted up onto the handle bars, and Truscott peddled along a country road toward a paved highway outside their drowsy hometown of Clinton, Ontario, 75 miles west of Toronto...
UK- Exclusive: Freed 'rapist' stabbed in street attack
Posted on May 10, 20095-10-2009 United Kingdom:A MAN convicted of raping a teenager before being freed on appeal has been stabbed and bottled in a street attack.Michael Dyer was left lying in a pool of blood after the assault.He was freed from a five-year jail sentence in February after appeal judges ruled his trial was botched...
Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex - Look and see; is the world ending?
Posted on May 10, 20095-10-2009 National:Should everything that is ?wrong? be a crime?Society decides what is right and what is wrong. Society has now decided that consensual sex between adults is wrong. A 28-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man had sex and now she is a sex offender...
How Sleep Sex (and Other Parasomnias) Can Get You in Trouble with the Law
Posted on May 09, 20095-8-2009 Global:Many people have so-called parasomnias, or involuntary behaviors?sleepwalking being the best known?that they act out while they're asleep. While it's rare for parasomniacs to get entangled with the law, sometimes they do. Sleep eating or calling a friend while unconscious isn't likely to get someone in legal trouble...
IN- New report on women and mental illness
Posted on May 09, 20095-8-2009 Indiana:Major depression nearly twice as likely in womenFor the first 45 of her 50 years of living, Bonnie Neighbour used to wake up feeling sorry to be alive"Even when I wasn't actually depressed, I would open my eyes in the morning and wonder if there wasn't something else; I would have preferred an alternative to being alive," she says...
NJ- Sex offender setback for New Jersey children
Posted on May 09, 2009It is amazing to see the public in a tailspin over the loss of residency laws. Such laws protected no one, all they did was to force registrants to live elsewhere. If registrants wanted to commit a crime they could do it whether or not residency laws are in effect...
NJ- Megan's Law backers explore options
Posted on May 09, 20095-9-2009 New Jersey:WEST WINDSOR -- A day after the New Jersey Supreme Court invalidated municipal laws governing where sex offenders may live, officials, activists and clinicians are looking for other ways to protect children from sexual exploitation...
More States Use GPS to Track Abusers
Posted on May 09, 20095-9-2009 National:NEWBURYPORT, Mass. ? When Theresa, a 51-year-old mother of two living near this coastal town, filed for a restraining order against her husband, she thought it would help put an end to the beatings, death threats and stalking that had tormented her family for years...
VA- Powder scare hits Capital One
Posted on May 09, 20095-9-2009 Virginia:CHESTERFIELD ? Employees of Capital One in Chesterfield were allowed to go home early after a white powder scare at the office yesterday.According to Chesterfield County Police Lt. Matt Botset, around 1:20 p.m. the county police received a call about an envelope containing an unknown white powder...
VT- Lawmakers quintuple size of Internet sex registry
Posted on May 09, 2009If needles represent pedophiles in Vermont, and before this change in the law it was easy to find them, I challenge folks to find the needles in the new quintuplized registry. Good luck, do you now feel safer?5-9-2009 Vermont:MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont lawmakers have passed a bill quintupling the size of the state's Internet sex offender registry...
Witch Hunt - Well worth your time to see
Posted on May 09, 20095-9-2009 National:On the night John Stoll was roused from his bed and carted off to jail, his attitude bordered on the cavalier. "Aren't you worried?" His lawyer wondered. "Hell no, I ain't worried," John answered. "I didn't do this. You can't convict me of something I didn't do...
TX- Problems With the Texas Sex Offender Registry
Posted on May 09, 20095-9-2009 Texas:Unlike most areas of the criminal justice system, judges are given no discretion in regards to the Sex Offender Registration Program. For the justice system to live up to its name, judges should be given discretion over the terms of registration...
AL- New bill to restrict sex offenders near campuses
Posted on May 08, 20095-8-2009 Alabama:MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The Alabama Legislature has given final approval to a bill to prevent convicted sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a college or university.The House gave final approval on an unanimous vote to the bill sponsored by Republican Rep...
MD- Attacks on homeless become hate crime in Md.
Posted on May 08, 20095-8-2009 Maryland:Maryland has become the first state in the nation to protect homeless people under a hate-crimes law.Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a bill Thursday that explicitly outlaws targeting people for crimes because they are homeless.The bill was sponsored by a conservative state senator who opposed extending hate-crime protections to gays and lesbians...
OH- Mansfield sex offender loses reclass appeal
Posted on May 08, 2009Unbelievable, now every sentence handed out in any criminal matter can be modified LEGALLY (errrr, according to this court) claiming, the modification is to prevent future offenses. Humm, that doesn't change the fact that the sentence is being modified, and that is precisely what ex post facto clauses are supposed to prevent...
Commentary: Internet Law and Your Rights
Posted on May 08, 20095-8-2009 National:Internet communication necessitates sharing content and data with third parties. The voluntary transfer of such content and related data to third-party Internet communication facilitators reduces or eliminates First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights of Internet users...
CA- California Sex Crime Conviction Reversed
Posted on May 08, 2009I don't believe he was even charged, but it must have been a prosecutor gone wild again.California Court of Appeal Reverses Conviction of Defendant Found Guilty of Sex Crime for Showing Harmful Matter to a MinorA jury in California found a defendant guilty of California Penal Code Section 288...
NJ- Area officials say towns should be able to decide where pedophiles live
Posted on May 08, 2009Restricting where registrants live is not going to prevent new sex crimes, the Supreme court is correct in nullifying local ordinances. Local officials refuse to review how crimes are committed instead settling for sounds-good ordinances for which there is no proof they make anyone safer...
CA- Convicted Sex Offender's Online Activities Scrutinized
Posted on May 08, 2009What I glean from this article is that, the powers that be are upset over the release -by one civilly confined- "conditions of confinement" in the