News media and the public continue to complain about the transient homeless sex offenders being such a big problem but they ignore the cause… Residency Restrictions.
It’s common sense that if you severely limit the housing options of Sex Offenders, there is a greater likelihood that they will have no place to live. When they have nowhere to live, they become transient.
So you don’t want sex offenders living at home with their families, but you don’t want sex offenders to be homeless either… what’s the solution?
This story coming out of the panhandle highlights the catch 22.
It’s a state law. Sex offenders who are homeless, can register their address in the woods, if that is where they live. As long as they aren’t violating the distance guidelines of the state or city in which they live, they can sleep in a tent in a wooded area. And many of them do.
In Bay County, there are over 340 registered sex offenders. Of those, three were recently living in tents in the woods. One on Panama City Beach, the other two off Tyndall Parkway.
Sheriff Frank McKeithen says law enforcement does it’s best to keep an eye on these guys. His deputies go above and beyond the requirements to check on the sex offenders. Sex offenders by law are required to notify authorities when they change address, but they can live in a tent in the woods if they have no other place.
Parents need to be aware. You can check your neighborhood to see if an offender or predator lives on your street or in nearby woods. The Bay County Sheriffs office has a link on their website www.bayso.org
“Some folks may think, well this is unacceptable, Sheriff Frank McKeithen says, but the point is, he is allowed by law to live here.”
Florida has some of the harshest sexual offender laws in the country, but law enforcement still has to monitor those who end up in their area. State law says offenders can not be within 1,000 feet of a school, church or daycare. But some municipalities have even stricter guidelines. In Panama City for example, it’s 1,500 feet, chasing most offenders into the unincorporated areas of Bay County. As a part of keeping an eye on sexual offenders, The Bay County Sheriffs Office and Panama City Police do routine checks. The Sheriff’s Office also hands out flyers to neighbors, to let them know an offender has moved into the neighborhood.
A Bay County parent received one of those flyers last month. Eric Casey says he was shocked. “It surprises me that a sexual offender can be a transient cause I thought they had to have an address and they had to check in from time to time”, Casey says.
There is good news. The offenders we checked on when we did the walk through with the Sheriff are gone. One was relocated, the other re-arrested. Sheriff McKeithen has instituted a Transient Enforcement Team to weed out not only sex offenders out, but other transients and criminals as well. The Sheriff says while the TET was in the planning stages, our interview in late October brought the program to a head.
Sure. Let’s forgive my baby’s rapist. She will suffer her entire life but let’s rehabilitate and support child rapists because that is the good Christian way.
You bring up child rape here?
Keep your fantasies to yourself, sicko.
I swear, some of the sickest mofo’s on this forum are those that believe they’re trolling child molesters.
Exactly and not everyone thats labeled a sex offender is a rapist!! However with this way of thinking thousands of people struggle just to find shelter! This is so wrong and the government really needs to change what the people are lead to believe and these people pay for the rest of their lives!!! Its a life sentence and totally unjust!!
Today is my birthday and yes I am 66 years young or old. I’m sure many that got swept with this registry ordeal wishes that they could forget about it all, move on to other things or get better understanding about these events. Should we forgive others… yes, should we rebuke or enlighten others about these internet enticements that are rotten and corrupt…. yes Should we understand who is doing the evil or should we call evil good or good evil .
Sure prying with a sexual temptation or coaxing is no good for anyone. Even noticing the construction of much of these internet encounters, they are vain/vanity in many ways. Sure if it saves one or two than its all good right. No its not right. How many people have we lost to this convid reality and yet government seems to have a handle on were it came from or who spin’s a tale to overcome another by some sexual enticement when the main motive is to prevent adults from talking to teens via the internet. Their can be many other scenario in this registry ordeal as actual undertakings. So who is the victim and who is the villain of this vain folly.
While I can’t help saying something about your screen name Mr. or Mrs. whoever you are, one should show some respect as two wrongs don’t make a right and forgiveness is blessed.
I am very sorry for your child and for your family’s trauma and heartache; I truly am.
But how does treating me (who as a 25-year old had consensual sexual activity with a 17-year old more than 25 years ago, literally over half of my life ago) like your child’s rapist help you, your child, or society? If anything, doesn’t it trivialize your own tragedy and divert society’s resources from focusing on those who are actually dangerous? With only a few exceptions, I’m subject to the same registration requirements and restrictions as the person who offended against your child.
I have an idea, why not just slap electronic monitoring devices on them. Then we can track them at all times. Better yet, let’s make ’em PAY for those devices and then make it a felony for them not to be able to pay! There’s no way these transient SOs could cough up the cash, and then we can just arrest them all and put them into prison!
Oh, wait, there’s a bill already filed with the state senate that will do that? PHENOMENAL!
/end sarcasm
Really messed up to say as I’m a sex offenders because I got lied to in my early 20s by a guy I met at a club. Some of us don’t look and moleste children. I’m in the same category as an 18 year old dating a 16 year old and that’s accepted by society.
Sorry to hear that I know alots of people got caught up in similar situations, I truely hope things work out for you it is so sad a person can murder someone an move next door without anyone knowing it. It’s also sad after a sex offenders do there time they should be able to live there life just like any other person r people got caught up in the criminal justice system.
Excellent. Ankle monitors are a very good strategy.
They aren’t. But hey, none of this is about facts or reality, so sure, let’s go with this and let it help grow the big government incarceration business even bigger. Hopefully the friends of politicians own monitoring companies and they can all fleece.
Personally, I’ve thought about getting into the fleecing, fear mongering businesses. But I decided I have morals.