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Aug 22, 2005 8:25:37 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Aug 22, 2005 8:25:37 GMT -5
County brings new line-up to fall TV: sex offenders
On its cable television station, Miami-Dade County will air photographs and names of sex offenders this fall as part of a larger effort aimed at restricting those convicted of sex crimes.
BY TERE FIGUERAS NEGRETE
tfigueras@herald.com
The county-owned cable channel Miami-Dade TV will be adding a new feature to its fall lineup: Photos and names of sex offenders at large in Miami-Dade.
The debut of the television broadcast is part of a handful of new policies and rules designed by Miami-Dade commissioners after the high-profile murders of two Florida girls this year.
Commissioners have asked county administrators and police officials to design a program to keep tabs on offenders living in Miami-Dade. A resolution, passed in July, included a wide range of suggestions -- such as assigning each offender to a police officer for monitoring.
In addition, the County Commission is following the lead of several local governments, including Miami Beach, by proposing laws that would restrict where sex offenders can live. The county's rule would create a 2,500-foot barrier around schools, parks, day care centers and bus stops.
''We want to send a message,'' said Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, who chairs a committee that vets public safety issues. ``Not only to the residents, but to those people who are offenders.''
IN PARKS
The proposed ordinance, which has yet to be passed, would also make it a crime for a registered offender to enter a public park when a minor is present -- a restriction that would affect a host of public beaches, marinas and the county-owned Metrozoo.
Some experts have questioned the effectiveness of the spate of laws that have popped up throughout the state since the murders of two Florida girls, Jessica Lunsford and Sarah Lunde, made national headlines. For example, some fear they will spur more convicted sex offenders to avoid registering, as they are required to do.
''Most of these are smoke and mirrors,'' Terry Coble, president of the Greater Miami chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said of the laws. ``It's more about politics than public safety.''
One version of the county's proposed law would affect all of Miami-Dade, including municipalities that already have similar laws on the books. Another version would apply only to unincorporated areas.
Sosa's committee passed both versions of the law Wednesday. The issue still has to be voted on by the full 13-member commission, a vote tentatively scheduled for Sept. 8, she said.
SIX TIMES A DAY
Meanwhile, the county is forging ahead with plans to link the MDTV cable channel to the Miami-Dade police department's sexual crimes bureau.
The link would allow for ''real time posting of data,'' according to a memo from County Manager George Burgess, who described the set-up as a ``dynamic video bulletin board.''
The broadcasts would show the names, descriptions and pictures of sexual offenders wanted by police -- including those who have not adhered to the state's registration laws for sexual offenders and are considered at large.
The county is aiming for an Oct. 1 kick-off date, and the listings would air six times daily, following each broadcast of the county-produced news programs Miami-Dade Now and the Spanish-language version, Miami-Dade Ahora.
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Aug 29, 2005 3:32:28 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Aug 29, 2005 3:32:28 GMT -5
OCEAN CITY -- Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has vowed to make Maryland a model in monitoring and punishing sexual predators, calling for increased penalties, more oversight and more assistance to victims of sex crimes. Ehrlich (R) rolled out his plan, known as the Sex Offenders Compliance and Enforcement in Maryland Initiative, in a 45-minute address that concluded the Maryland Association of Counties' annual convention on Saturday. The multifaceted approach emphasizes better -- and more frequent -- monitoring of sexual predators, community awareness and a new Web site that will include photographs and information on all offenders who have failed to keep their registrations current. "We need to do more with respect to sex offenders," Ehrlich said. "Government on every level needs to err on the side of children and families. Public safety first." Ehrlich, who said he has more than 20 years of advocating for this issue from his days as a lawyer and in Congress, plans to introduce legislation that would increase penalties for the most violent sexual offenders to a maximum of life in prison or to lifetime electronic monitoring, if they are released. Sexual offenders, which includes rapists, pedophiles and others, are given classifications by prosecutors during trial, said Alan Friedman, an Ehrlich policy adviser who lobbies the legislature. Friedman touted Ehrlich's plan that all state cell phones be connected to the Amber Alert system, which sends a message when children are missing. The public can sign up by calling their service provider. Ehrlich called for another bill that would require all sex offenders to appear twice a year in person to update their registration with authorities. Penalties for the failure to comply would be increased. Ehrlich said his budget will earmark $700,000 to support law enforcement agencies that maintain registrations. It is impossible to predict the future of Ehrlich's proposals until the specifics of the legislation are finalized, said Senate Judicial Proceedings Chairman Brian E. Frosh. He noted that Ehrlich is coming to the issue after Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. (D) already called for cracking down on sexual predators. "Joe Curran thought we needed additional laws on sexual predators, and now we see a stampede in its wake," said Frosh (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda. Cracking down on sex offenders -- particularly pedophiles -- has gained national attention, following a spate of violent crimes and the lack of up-to-date information on sex offender registries. Ehrlich called for two random sweeps per year for authorities to visit every registered sex offender to verify their address and personal information. He also said a new Web site -- www.socem.info -- will provide additional information and links to the state's sexual offender registry, allowing a user to enter a name or ZIP code to see the names, addresses and photos of convicted sex offenders. The issue is also playing out in the governor's race with Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) seeking early last week to upstage Ehrlich's speech with his own six-point plan. Both plans call for electronic monitoring of sexual offenders using global positioning technology. Comptroller William Donald Schaefer (D) said Ehrlich "spoke too long" about sex offenders during his speech, but he agreed that the issue resonates with voters. "For those who have kids, it's a very important issue, and it's an issue right now," Schaefer said. Other than the sexual predator initiative, Ehrlich's speech was mostly a recap of his first three years in office. He included a litany of statistics praising the state's strong economy and business climate while providing a rundown of the money his administration has spent on the environment, education, transportation and public safety. The governor offered little indication of how the state's $1 billion surplus will be used. His signature issue of legalizing slot machines was not mentioned. Several Democrats in the audience seemed unimpressed with the speech. "It was a trip down memory lane," said Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith (D). "I was hoping for some vision of the upcoming General Assembly session and some budget issues, but we'll get them eventually, I guess." Senate Budget and Taxation Chairman Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) of Forestville said he, too, would have liked to hear more about the budget. "None of the major issues we're going to be tackling this session were addressed," he said. "This administration insults the public when it talks about its accomplishments in areas where it has done significant damage," said David S. Weaver, a spokesman for gubernatorial aspirant Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D). Weaver cited the administration's "stealing" from the transportation trust fund and the persistent problems in the Department of Juvenile Services. Schaefer said he has encouraged Ehrlich to talk more about the good things happening in the state, and to take credit for his accomplishments. "People forget what you've done and remember what you haven't done," he said.
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Aug 29, 2005 3:33:59 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Aug 29, 2005 3:33:59 GMT -5
Colorado's worst sexual offenders could move into neighborhoods without notice unless the law is changed, a state task force said Friday.
In the six years since Colorado adopted a law governing sexually violent predators, 42 have been identified among state prisoners.
The law calls for advance warning to the communities they will be moving into and specifies how they will be monitored by law enforcement.
But only three convicted sex offenders have met the criteria and triggered the community notification process.
"It's obvious to many people in Colorado there are holes in the laws that protect our citizens, especially children, from sexually violent predators," said Rep. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, who plans to carry future legislation that would make the changes proposed by the task force.
In June, Gov. Bill Owens appointed the 15-member Task Force on Sexually Violent Predators to plug gaps in how Colorado monitors the most grievous brand of sex offender.
On Friday, it recommended that:
• All sexually violent predators be automatically subject to community notification. That notice is discretionary under current law, said Alison Morgan, of the state Department of Corrections.
• The state judicial branch's probation department be responsible for the risk assessment of sexually violent predators. Currently, there is confusion over who is responsible.
• Arrest be made mandatory for a sexually violent predator who fails to comply with quarterly registration requirements.
• The definition be changed to include criminals labeled sexually violent predators in other states who have moved to Colorado, even if they've completed their sentence. That includes ex-convicts and parolees who have been sentenced in military and federal courts.
The task force could make additional recommendations by Nov. 1, Owens said.
Colorado's 1999 law defined a sexually violent predator, created a way to assess offenders and required that neighbors be alerted when such a person moved to town.
Due to confusion over the law, however, many sex offenders slipped through the system and were never assessed.
Under pressure from legislators, corrections officials in June began reviewing 83 sex-offender inmates who were about to be released. Six were deemed sexually violent predators, including a man released from prison Aug. 3 who now lives in Fort Collins.
That means another five inmates are likely to prompt community meetings when they are released by year's end, said Morgan.
The department also checked records on 19 parolees and eight former inmates who had discharged their paroles. None met the criteria, she said.
Probation officials now are reviewing 1,300 cases to spot potential predators they may have missed.
Morgan said the department has found no evidence of anyone who should have been labeled a sexually violent predator getting out and reoffending.
Corrections officials plan to assess an additional 944 sex offenders currently in prison.
"We have made this a top priority," Joe Ortiz, executive director of the department, said. "We will make resources stretch, but we will get them all checked."
Violent predators make up a small portion of the nearly 8,500 registered sex offenders in Colorado.
The sexually violent predator designation means the assailant was a stranger to the victim or was a stranger until he or she began grooming the victim for an assault.
Those who meet the criteria are subject to a lifetime of supervision after prison in addition to community notification of their presence.
The first notification required by the law happened in early 2004 when Robert Rivers, 42, moved into a shelter along the Platte River north of Coors Field.
Rivers was sentenced to 10 years to life on probation after pleading guilty to sexual assault by force of a 16-year-old runaway whom he then put on the streets to work for him as a prostitute.
Douglas County handled a high-profile notification last spring when Michael Christopher Carroll, who earned the label for three sex offenses he committed against children in Florida, moved to Highlands Ranch but failed to register as a sex offender.
Residents of Durango also were notified of a sexual predator in the area even though the offender didn't meet all the criteria, said Jill McFadden, a task force member and program director with the Sex Offender Management Board.
Most recently, a meeting was called in Fort Collins to discuss the arrival of convicted sex offender Jason Matthew Ballard, 26, who was released from prison Aug. 3.
Ballard was convicted of second-degree sexual assault for assaulting a teenage girl six years ago at a party.
Morgan said corrections officials tagged Ballard even though he had slipped through the system without being labeled as he should have been.
"It shows the system is working," Morgan said.
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Aug 30, 2005 16:26:08 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Aug 30, 2005 16:26:08 GMT -5
TORONTO -- A Jehovah's Witness who sexually abused his daughter was sentenced yesterday to two years less a day to be served in the community in a case that cast a spotlight on how the sect handles sex-abuse complaints within its ranks.
The victim, Vicki Boer, said the sentencing of her father validates her allegations and should force the sect to face up to its shortcomings in handling her abuse complaint.
"For the first time, somebody believed me," Boer said of the judge.
"It makes (the elders) accountable. They've never had to be accountable," she said in an interview from Fredericton.
In June, Gower Palmer pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault in Ontario Superior Court in Orangeville, Ont., about 100 km northwest of Toronto.
However, the court found he had abused his daughter on at least five separate occasions, prosecutor Eric Taylor said yesterday.
Taylor said he wanted Justice Emile Kruzick to impose a prison term on Palmer in the three-year range.
However, in imposing a lower penalty, Kruzick said Palmer had already been punished by going through a lengthy civil suit. He will also be put on a sex-offender registry and will have to go through counselling.
While identifying sexual-abuse victims is normally prohibited, Boer wanted the public to know her name.
"This is a battle that I'm fighting for not even just myself but for other kids," she said.
Now a married mother of three pre-teen daughters, Boer said she hoped her criminal and civil battles would force changes to how Witnesses deal with sexual abuse within their ranks.
As part of their beliefs, Jehovah's Witnesses reject anything political or "worldly" that distracts from their focus on Christ and the Second Coming, which they consider imminent.
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Aug 30, 2005 16:27:39 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Aug 30, 2005 16:27:39 GMT -5
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign to beef up California's sexual predator laws came today to San Jose, the home city of Dean Schwartzmiller, who police have said may turn out to be one of the most prolific child molesters ever.
The governor's law enforcement liaison, Les Weidman, said California deserves one of the the toughest such laws in the country, and called on lawmakers to pass measures that would require violent sexual offenders to wear an electronic tracking device for the rest of their lives, extend others' years on parole and make it easier for investigators to catch predators who use the Internet to lure children into sex.
``This tips the scales of justice in favor of the victims instead of the perpetrators,'' said Weidman, a former sheriff in Stanislaus County.
The Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act would also make possession of child pornography a felony, expand the number of people who would be under the most severe restrictions after release from prison and keeps paroled sexually violent offenders in a state mental hospital until they can show they are no longer threat.
Currently, kiddie-porn possession is a misdemeanor and sexually violent offenders are released into the community after a two-year period of intensive treatment in a mental hospital. Currently, it takes more than one conviction to be labeled sexually violent and be put under the most severe post-release restrictions. Under the proposal, one conviction would be enough.
Schwarzenegger's proposal could face resistance in the Democratically controlled Legislature. Democrats in the state Senate rejected a bill in June by Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, that would have required lifetime electronic tracking of convicted pedophiles.
The Legislature's annual session ends early next month, giving lawmakers little time to consider such a hefty bill, Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, chairman of the public safety committee, said two weeks ago, when the governor first announced the proposals.
``I don't know how we digest a 52-page bill and give it the appropriate attention when we have as many things going on as we do,'' Leno said.
Leno said placing all registered sex offenders under satellite surveillance for life would be enormously expensive. He estimated the governor's total package of proposed changes could cost as much as $500 million a year, a price he said included the satellite surveillance, additional jail time for some offenders and longer parole terms.
In San Jose, Schwarzenegger's spokesman on the issue said he doesn't know where Leno came up with the $500 million cost estimate, saying the cost of lifelong electronic surveillance was probably closer to $30 million, which Weidman said would be picked up by the state, not be shifted to local probation departments.
The measures, Assembly Bill 231, by Sharon Runner, R-Antelope Valley, and Senate Bill 588 by Sen. George Runner, R-Antelope Valley, would also keep more convicted child molesters away from schools and parks, and keep them farther away than under current law.
The measures are based on Florida's ``Jessica's Law,'' but is tougher in some areas, Weidman said.
On hand to speak for the bill during a news conference at San Jose police headquarters was Chief Rob Davis, whose agency is considered the Bay Area leader in making cases against Internet child predators and training other agencies to do the same. Mountain View Police Chief Scott Vermeer, representing the Santa Clara County Police Chiefs Association and Dennis Bacon, representing Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, also endorsed the bills, as did Chief District Attorney Karyn Sinunu.
Davis said one of the best things about the bill, from his perspective, is that it would require the state to consult with local governments before they place a paroled violent predator in the community. Local officials know the best places better than officials in Sacramento, he said. Davis noted this was not done when predator Cart Verse was placed in South San Jose last year ``under cover of darkness'' without local police being notified.
Davis said the electronic-monitoring provision would not have made any difference against Dean Schwartzmiller, who police said kept records indicating he may have had thousands of juvenile victims in a period of more than three decades, because he was not a registered sex offender. But he said Schwartzmiller is exactly the kind of person that global positioning devices are designed to keep tabs on in an effort protect children.
``It's not as if somebody gets out of jail and those cravings cease,'' he said. ``We know that the overwhelming majority will continue ... to victimize kids.''
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Sept 9, 2005 22:12:36 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Sept 9, 2005 22:12:36 GMT -5
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Sept 12, 2005 12:50:53 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Sept 12, 2005 12:50:53 GMT -5
Child porn bust linked to Wpg. daycare centre CTV.ca News Staff The arrest of a Winnipeg daycare operator's common-law spouse for possessing child pornography has horrified some parents. "The stuff that goes through your head, it's pretty surreal -- and you don't want to think about it," said one mother whose daughter went to the daycare for seven months in 2004. "You can't trust anybody now," parent Selena Fritsch told CKY News. "You put your trust in these people to take care of your kids all day and you find out stuff like this. I'm scared to put them anywhere." A note on the front door of the Charleswood Children Centre notified parents that province Child and Family Services and the Winnipeg police were investigating allegations surrounding Mark Balez, 44. "He was always so nice, so sincere," said the one mother. "Every time I went in there, he had a kid in his hand, like in his arms. I don't know; it kind of freaks me out, I guess." Police acted on a search warrant on a residence earlier in the week, seizing a computer among other things. They are asking parents to provide a photo of their children, although they haven't indicated yet whether they suspect pornographic photos were taken of any of the children in the daycare. "At this stage of the game, I can't really make a comment on that because the investigation is ongoing," said Staff Sgt. Gord Friesen of the Winnipeg police. "I don't know if he was creating it, or just possessed it or just watching it. I'm hoping he didn't do anything to any children," the mother said. Fritsch had her two daughters on a waiting list to be accepted by the daycare. Now she's relieved they didn't get in. "I don't know what I would have done if I had my children in that daycare then heard this," she said. No one from the daycare would comment to CKY News. However, Balez heatedly rejected the allegations on Friday in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press. "The police are going down the wrong path. They are completely wrong,'' he said Friday. "I didn't take any pornographic pictures, period. In simple terms, I would rather die than see a child in that centre get hurt.'' With reports from CKY's Rachel Lagace and Kelly Dehn www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126409512281_4/?hub=Canada
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Sept 16, 2005 16:52:52 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Sept 16, 2005 16:52:52 GMT -5
NORTH CANTON, Ohio -- The city of North Canton is one step closer to keeping sex offenders away from children, NewsChannel5 reported.
On Tuesday night, City Council approved an amendment that would ban sexual predators from coming within 2,500 feet of a school, public park, library or day-care centers.
Opponents of the ordinance said the state’s law is more realistic.
That bars sexual predators from living within 1,000 feet of a school.
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Sept 27, 2005 17:28:22 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Sept 27, 2005 17:28:22 GMT -5
Alaskan father of 15 faces sex assault, incest charges
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man who lived with his wife and 15 children inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park — and engaged in a widely publicized feud with the park service — has been charged with numerous counts of sexual assault and incest.
Alaska State Troopers searched Monday for Robert A. Hale, 64, who goes by the name Papa Pilgrim. "He could be anywhere," said agency spokesman Greg Wilkinson.
Hale was indicted Thursday by a state grand jury on 30 felony counts, including 10 counts of sexual assault, one count of kidnapping, eight counts of incest, eight counts of coercion and three counts of assault. The indictment lists just one victim.
Hale's wife, Country Rose Hale, said family members cooperated in the investigation.
"We're just trying to do everything we can to support them," she told The Associated Press.
Troopers said the alleged crimes covered eight years, but Hale's wife didn't want to talk about it.
"We're sorry. We just appreciate the prayers of many thousands of people out there that could help us get through all this," she said. "God is on the throne and he's going to forgive Papa for the things he's done wrong."
Hale and his family bought a 410-acre parcel inside the 13.2 million-acre national park in spring 2002. The family claimed to be deeply religious and wanted to live off the land.
Hale has had an ongoing dispute with the National Park Service involving access to their property about 14 miles from McCarthy, an old mining town with about 50 residents in the park.
At one point, the park service closed the mountain road after the Hales used a bulldozer to push snow and ice from the road without a permit. The closure left the family able to access their home only by horse or airplane.
Hale accused the Park Service of trying to starve his family out. Volunteer pilots came to their assistance, flying in supplies to a small airstrip on the property.
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Oct 26, 2005 8:50:20 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Oct 26, 2005 8:50:20 GMT -5
Sex offenders ordered home early on Halloween 2,200 told not to answer door when kids knock
Tuesday, October 25, 2005 Posted: 2130 GMT (0530 HKT)
NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) -- New Jersey sex offenders who face supervision under Megan's Law will be confined to their homes Halloween night and will be under orders not to answer the door when trick-or-treaters come calling.
It will be the first time sex offenders in New Jersey will be subject to a curfew.
A lawyer representing sex offenders says the ban won't protect children and the onus is on parents to keep kids safe.
The rules were issued by the state parole board in a recent letter to the 2,200 offenders it supervises.
The offenders must be indoors by 7 p.m. on Monday and cannot answer their doors when trick-or-treaters knock. They can't attend parties where children are present, nor can they take children -- including their own -- in search of treats.
"Our goal is to avoid unsupervised contact," said Edward M. Bray, acting deputy executive director of the state parole board. "There wasn't a specific event or events that was the impetus for this. We're taking a proactive stance."
Bray said he isn't aware of other states with a similar curfew, though many states and the federal government have adopted versions of Megan's Law. The law got its start in New Jersey after the 1994 rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a sex offender who lived across the street in Hamilton Township.
Megan's Law requires sex offenders to register with police when they move into a community. It also requires that the offender's neighbors be notified.
Lawyer John S. Furlong said Tuesday he already has heard from six of his clients regarding the curfew, but said a legal challenge would not be practical. The state has the authority to impose the curfew, he conceded.
But he said: "My own view is that it's unfair, expensive and inane. In other words, it's just stupid. Nobody is going to be safer. Nobody is going to be less at risk. No purpose is served other than the arbitrary abuse of power by people who can."
He added: "The best monitors in the world for children are their parents. You want to keep your kids safe? Go trick or treating with them."
Sixty parole officers in the newly formed sex offender management unit, along with members of the 12 district offices, will perform checks on the sex offenders, Bray said. Local police departments also have been notified of the curfew and were asked to contact the board if they see a violation, he said.
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Feb 24, 2006 4:25:18 GMT -5
Post by Sher on Feb 24, 2006 4:25:18 GMT -5
OTTAWA -- A 34-year-old Ottawa man pleaded guilty yesterday to sexual interference involving a three-year-old girl.
Patrick Hebert committed the act while visiting the child's mother on April 7, 2005.
Court heard the mother found Hebert looking "guilty" in her daughter's bedroom and afterwards found the child's pyjamas to be wet. Hebert was charged the following day.
Hebert's lawyer, Ken Hall, acknowledged his client admitted to police that he was sexually attracted to children.
The judge ordered Hebert to undergo a pre-sentence sexual behaviour assessment.
Sexual interference...yep that's right, sexual interference. Makes me sick. I hope he goes away from a long long time.
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