Divided Florida Court Revokes Sex Offender’s Probation After Bizarre Feud With Neighbors
A peculiar dispute between two South Florida neighbors came before the Fourth District Court of Appeal on Wednesday when it found that a registered sex offender’s three-year “campaign of harassment” against the couple next door violated his probation and warranted a prison sentence.
The case drew conflicting opinions from the appellate panel as two judges found the defendant Scott Johnstone’s behavior fell under Florida’s stalking statute but a dissenting judge said the “antics” were nothing more than “petty annoying behavior.”
The feud began after Johnstone disclosed that he’d been convicted of 10 counts of possession of child pornography and his new neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Shockley, said they didn’t want anything to do with him.
Johnstone then allegedly did an array of things to annoy them, including painting a ”clown-like character” on an adjoining fence with the words,” STUPID PEOPLE BEYOND THIS POINT” and an arrow pointing to their house.
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I read the entire ruling from the District Court of Appeal. In addition to all of the harassment, this man hosed himself down “bathing” in nothing but tight cotton underwear in the clear view of a very young child, intentionally. He’s extremely lucky he wasn’t arrested for lewd and lascivious exhibition for that. I have known others who were charged with that offense for lesser conduct.
As someone who was on community control for 2 years and sex offender probation for another 8, I can tell you that this man was playing wild and loose with the rules and is a danger to the public. Ex-offenders who dedicate themselves to self-improvement and never harming another individual don’t behave this way. He only got about 2 years in prison on the violation (I looked it up on the FLDOC website). He should count himself lucky. I have no sympathy for him. His behavior puts us all and our cause one step back.
Rm
Not to stick up for the idiot but have you ever been to the beach? The beaches here in Florida I see guys walking about with basically a string covering their junk and their bush showing.
Although what the guy did was stupid, I do not think it is illegal as underwear means you are not nude.
BUT if they want you bad enough, you can be arrested for anything or whatever lie they make up. Some of my charges were for someone to this day I do not know who they are, but was able to have those thrown out when I challenged in court to have that person appear and testify under oath and threat of a polygraph test.
I sent this in an email to FAC in the hopes that something would get mentioned here about it. This does not look good for any of us. This is obviously a typical street thug with no regard for anyone regardless of his past crimes but this will be how we are all judged by society when idiots who have a sexual offense record do shit like this…..
https://www.google.com/amp/s/lawandcrime.com/crazy/suspect-in-assault-on-92-year-old-woman-identified-as-convicted-sex-offender-who-has-been-arrested-more-than-100-times/amp/
Here’s another from the attack. https://nypost.com/2020/06/17/brute-accused-of-slugging-elderly-bronx-woman-has-been-arrested-over-100-times/
Thugs like this make our cause more difficult and us that are law abiding might have more oppressive laws placed on us because of this thug; who should of spent longer time in prison with his 100 arrests. Holy shit, I need my Tylenol.
The papers emphasized his status as a sex offender, which had nothing to do with him being a thug or a brute. He had 100 arrests with only two or three being for anything sex related. Reporting like this just perpetuates the ignorance and fear regarding sex offenders. Not only is this guy disgusting, but the coverage is as well.
Here’s an example of how the registry fails to stop someone who IS dangerous.
If someone tries to bring up this assailant as evidence of the efficacy of registry laws, I may have to point out to them that they’re not thinking it through.
As MI ACLU’s Miriam Aukerman recently suggested— when we are attempting to educate public officials, we don’t have to get in a pissing match over recidivism rates, if we simply demonstrate that registries don’t work!
Jacob
In this case the criminal justice system and New York failed to protect society for a dangerous offender and not the registry. How can you have over 100 arrests and still be walking around?
Maestro,
I do not care if the old lady was black or white, if I saw someone knock and elderly person out like that, I swear on my Grannies grave it would be worth it to go back to prison for what I would have done for that person. That is a coward if I ever saw one. Knock someone out who actually has a chance of beating your *ss or who at least would give you damn run for your money.
I lost all of my grandparents but I have adopted several elderly people as foster grandparents.
Now not to sound racists, but if that had been a elderly black woman knocked out by a white person (I am Cherokee so don’t jump on me) the cities would be burning right now.
CherokeeJack,
This is not an issue of race, at least not the reason I shared the story. If the assailant had racial motives – that’s to be determined. I brought it up here because the news is making sure to mention he’s a “sex offender”.
As news stories routinely fail to get the registrant’s side of the story, I would have to withhold an opinion one way or another. To draw a clown on one’s fence suggests that a simmering feud had been developing for some time. Perhaps some false accusations or baseless complaints had been levied to give the man unwarranted grief. On probation, even the most ridiculous false accusation or insinuation can result in the probation office coming down hard on an individual. This alone could drive some over the edge.
Perhaps the registrant was trying to get some ‘justice’ by pushing the limits on their freedoms, hoping to make the couple feel a bit of the discomfort they’ve been feeling. Who knows? We never get the full story in the media because (as we know) they are not truth telling organizations but rather advertising pushing story spinners.