8 hit with registration violations in Polk County.
A headline in Today’s, Daily Ridge reads, “8 Polk County sexual predators and offenders arrested for failure to comply with Florida law”. We had to read the story to check out what horrible new sex crimes these guys were committing and, as expected, these were not new sex offenses, but technical registration violations.
Worst, of the eight arrests, five (yes, 5 of the 8) were individuals who lived at the same address who were all charged with failing to report a vehicle.
So five people, all living at the same address, all getting charged with failing to register a vehicle… We had to look into it.
With 5 registrants all living at the same address (and it not being a high-rise condominium), it was unlikely that they purchased a fleet of vehicles and collectively decided to evade registration. It sure smelled like someone new moved in who had a vehicle and they all got popped for failing to register a new guy’s car.
According to this press release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, one of the guys only moved there last week!
We always wanted to challenge the “vehicles owned” change to the registration requirement. Not only for situations where roommates change vehicles beyond the control of the registrant (yet triggering a registrant’s registration requirement), but also because individuals whose cars don’t belong to a sex offender should not have their cars on the sex offender registry.
This mass arrest provides an opportunity to bring this challenge in the context of a criminal charge (where the accused have the right to be appointed an attorney).
If anyone knows or has access to these individuals, please invite them to contact us.
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I’m Registered in Florida 1989 plea Deal Agreement, Retroactively being Forced to Register For Life. Its and ONLY SEX OFFENSE.
Everytime I got update my Registration in Florida, I’m told by the same Police Officer Who has known me from Years of Registration. I was caught up in the RECAPTURE LAWS.
The Registration Officer (A DEPUTY SHERIFF DETECTIVE) Always tells Me I need to get that Information. I tell Her…They Refuse to do it. I can’t force it. Because it could make me Homeless. She’s says well by Law she has to inform me. I lived in the same House for over 20 Years. The Police and the community knows Me. These Laws are Trash. Putting people like myself on them Doesn’t make anyone safe. I will use Deadly Force Defending myself or My Family. It’s Vindictive. People are waking up to these Political Motivated Laws. Not Everyone is a Threat. One Time mistake shouldn’t Sabotage & Destroy Your life Forever. I was 17 years old. I’m now 48 and STUCK FOR LIFE, if these Laws don’t change. Pissing People off, Making people Unemployable and Homeless with No way out regardless of Future conduct it straight up Bullshit. Some People have Nothing else to lose.
This makes some EXTREMELY DANGEROUS…Some us are will too fight. I can’t get ANY HELP LEGALLY….Because I’m Broke. It cost 10’s of thousands of Dollars to hire an Attorney, Even if You Possibly have a shot. Good luck if Your Unemployed and Homeless….it’s part of the plan. These laws are PUNISHMENT., DOESN’T MATTER HOW COURTS & LAW MAKERS DISGUISE THEM AS CIVIL. Hope People wake up, before People at the end of their Rope….throw in the Towel. That SHOULD SCARE PEOPLE….THESE LAWS BREED HATE ON BOTH SIDES.
As a former Polk County resident I personally know the horrors of dealing with Shady Grady. The sad thing is as of late 2018 you now have to pay to be on the registry in Polk County. Every time my husband goes to Bartow to register you have to pay them $5 or else they will not do your registration and you will be arrested to not registering. (unless you are deemed indigent)
I personally know the pains of vehicle registrations. My husband is 100% disabled and he can not drive because he is blind (he doesn’t even have a drivers license) But I have to have my vehicle registered and when my brother and sister in law come down to visit Florida they stay with us and we have to register their vehicle also as it is on our property and my husband has access to it. And once they leave Florida we have to go back to Bartow and inform them that the vehicle is now gone. I thought that this was crazy but I checked with a deputy I know and he confirmed it. (you have to report ANY changes no matter how small and if a vehicle is on your property for more than 5 days you have to register it in Polk County).
Now because he on the registry from a crime that happened back in 1988 (he was on probation when the laws went into effect) his life is a living hell. I want to travel and see some of the country but when he mentioned this to the sheriff’s department they said that he would have to go in and give them the date he was leaving and the date he would return. And he had 48 hours after his return to check in with them to let them know that he’s back. (plus pay $5 for each interaction)
He was also told that he would have to let them know what hotels we would be staying at and we may have to check in with the sheriffs department in those county to see what their restrictions are and he may have to register the hotel’s address with them if we are there for 3 or more days.
The sad thing is now people convicted of sex offenses can plea bargain with the state to avoid ever being on the Registry. One of the most famous cases is that of Former Georgetown Police Sgt. Jimmy Lewis Fennell Jr.. He was aware of the registry when pleading and had the option to adjust his plea deal. Everyone convicted prior to the law coming in did not know that the registry was coming so they had no chance to negotiate a plea deal to avoid the registry. They say that being on the registry is not a sentence but the Fennell Jr. case should show that being on the registry is A SENTENCE seeing he was able to make a plea deal to avoid it (during his sentencing)
I just had my 3 month check done. The cops are pissed because THEY have to come to ME, instead of me going to the courthouse.
(I was BANNED and trespassed from the Broward County courthouse because I am a “Liability and a fall risk”)
At my registration I asked the deputy if I still am on “probation”? She stated the obvious, NO, I wasnt.
Then I asked her this……
“If I am not on probation, or any legal holding, then why do I have to fill out this crap paperwork”?
And what happens if I refuse to “COMPLY” with this??
She told me that it was part of my “sentence”……
(which it wasnt)
So, I told her that even tho I have been off probation since 2000, I am still on paper/probation.
She said “YUP”
SO….
I signed the paper
SIGNED UNDER DURESS/UNDER THREAT OF INCARCERATION
EX-POST FACTO
VC…(full name here)
This cop was so pissed that I did this.
This paperwork gets scanned and sent to FDLE. If all of us were to sign these papers like I did (especially if you are off probation) it lets them know that YOU KNOW the law and what they are doing is ILLEGAL !!
As registered citizens it is important to know the laws and let those in authority know that we know the laws. It may ‘piss them off’ but it will get a message across. Law enforcement in some cases needs to spend more time polishing their ‘jack boots’ and less time harassing citizens who are trying to live decent lives.
that’s what I’m trying to figure out as I’m completely compliant in my RSO but Polk county trying to violate for multiple houses on one property if course they have cars. I have no liscese and nobody in my home drives but yet I’m supposed to register everyone elses vehicles to keep from being violated I’m not understanding this and have looked everywhere for help as I got charged because I didnt know guy was 17 I was 24
It’s Florida law. Unnecessary? Silly? Political? Fear based? Yes.
Unfortunately it’s still a law that you must comply with while you live in Florida. Your lack of a license matters not in this.
As you should have to register where ever he goes. A sexual crime is a very serious offense. Also if the crime was rape, on a child… I don’t think the offender should see the light of day again. The fact that the Judicial system is bargaining with somebody who did something so horrific is in my opinion EVIL. They will release a child rapist “not referring to your husband”, bc I’m not sure of his charges, but let them go for their benefit and risk another child’s life? This is perverse and unjust at its best!!! I was sent to prison at age 18 in Polk county Florida for being in possession of 4/10ths of meth. Which I didn’t know what that was until I moved here. These are drugs consumed myself by choice. MY CHOICE. Why are so many being locked away for 10 years and baby rapist’s are walking around our neighborhoods? I’m sure these people are also given name changes as well. I’m sure it’s unparallel, but nobody wants to stand up. I have a feeling this has been going on for a LONG time. I actually think it’s effected some of my close friends that were victims at an early age. Question: He you ever seen a grown man shake violently in his sleep? Flailing and speaking in things you cannot understand? I would hate the day anyone who loved their children as much as I did find something out like that. Maybe why people come up missing or freak out and shoot up a school. Or maybe even do DRUGS. Because they’re dealing with something unimaginable and are forced to live with it. It’s disgusting. God will be returning soon because unfortunately this mess is to big for us to clean up now. I’ll be praying for the world and doing what I can in the mean time.
I can assure you that there are no “baby rapists” walking your neighborhood or anyone else’s.
Stay off the drugs.
Some observations:
Went to prison at 18 for a meth charge. Did you come up with the idea to abuse drugs all by yourself? Not likely… there were adults in the equation that led to your arrest. Do you view them as equally evil as child abusers? Perhaps you may also have been an influence in a minor’s drug addition, but we won’t go there. Drugs can destroy lives as much, if not more, than sexual abuse. Google “overdose deaths in the US” if you still believe the “drugs aren’t that bad” myth. Since you also brought up God in your post, don’t deceive yourself into thinking one class of sin is more worthy of condemnation than another. A lot of people will end up in hell wondering how they got there. Don’t be one of them.