Marion County arresting registrants who didn’t report during Covid pandemic
Reading this article made my blood boil! Counties which were being “flexible” about IN PERSON registration during Covid-19 shut downs are arresting people who failed to register.
On March 30th, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Sexual Predator Unit (SOPU) posted a sign outside their door telling registrants to wait in line a safe distance from one another, and when it was his or her turn to register, to approach the door and call the phone number on the sign. Registration would then be conducted through the door.
A registrant reported on both April 1st and April 2nd (his re-registration month was April), called the number, nobody answered so he left messages. Nobody called him back and he otherwise was quarantined at home.
When he showed up on May 19th to update his vehicle registration, he was arrested for failing to register!
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I have my camera on every time i go in.
I sure hope these people were smart enough to document by witnesses, video, etc their attempts to register that were not accepted.
I was once told to “leave and come back tomorrow” because their internet was down. “Nope! You are being recorded and i am here to register. I have fulfilled my legal obligation. So if you do not complete my registration my lawyer will be contacting you.”
What are the requirements of the registration office to be opened? I’ve wondered because my office hours seem to be intentionally unreasonable.
830-1100, 100-500 m-f
Thats only 6.5hrs opened per day and they are largely placed around the most inconvenient times.
If i wanted to go during lunch the office is inconveniently on a (2hr) lunch break.
Most people start work around 7&8 so no registering before work.
And jobs typically end around 5pm so no registering after work. Weekends are out. 32.5 inconvenient hours a week to register does not seem reasonable, it seems like entrapment.
Ok, I realize right up front that I’m going to be beat to hell for this………. The offender really bears most of the fault in this one. He did attempt to register on the first 2 days of the month but there were 20 other days in the month that he could’ve at least attempted to contact the office.
As Registered Citizens we have to go to the fullest measure to ensure that we comply with the onerous requirements placed on us. Whether we find them absolutely asinine or not (and I know that I would use a hell of a lot stronger language to describe them) the responsibility rests on us to comply. If we do fully comply and then fight the system they cannot turn around and say “Well, you didn’t comply anyway”. If we give the State even the tiniest hole in our defense argument they’ll use it to rip our case apart. If the gentleman had made multiple attempts to at least call the registration office then he would have much better position to argue when he goes to court. As it is right now the State will merely say “Your Honor, he only attempted to contact the registration office twice in 22 days”. I don’t think that he could even make a strict liability argument because he did that.
I know I am not the only one here that’s stood on the defendant side of the courtroom. As wrong and unjust as it is we all know that we go into a courtroom where justice is ANYTHING but blind.
Let us hope the person gets a reasonable judge who will look at their history of registrations, the fact the registration was in fact closed or appeared to be and that perhaps how many years had passed without another arrest.
I do believe the judge you gets matters more than the lawyer you hire because they get the final say other than an appeal. If the judge hates those with sexual offenses like my judge did, you will get more time than a murderer gets.
Reasonable judge? I don’t think that will help; they don’t have discretion anymore. Mandatory minimum of 6 months probation with an ankle monitor for any registration violation.
I agree with Roger… Every register citizen knows what is at stake. What happen to the other 28 days and his month was April. Did he try to go to a different County to check in? Even though it is not his county He could have made a better defensive argument that he went some where else to register and they denied him I am sorry he went to jail but April has 30 days minus 8 Sat. and Sunday so 22 days he could have went Yes time and money but I rather have freedom to spend the other two without jail
As Registered Citizens we have to go to the fullest measure to ensure that we comply with the onerous requirements placed on us.
Well, that just sealed the deal on the argument that this shit is in fact punitive. 👍🏻
We could have 1000000000000000000000 pieces of evidence that the registry is punishment. However, until a judge rules otherwise, it is mute.
However, I have seen a few rulings in other states where it has in fact been ruled punishment.
I’m afraid that I’m going to have to agree with Mr. Mansfield on this one. The rules are ridiculous, but we do have to do everything we possibly can to comply. I would also like to add that the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Unit is closed every Wednesday. April 1st was a Wednesday. This office has been closed on Wednesdays for as long as I’ve been required to register.
As a side note, the first week of any month is the worst time to register. They are always busy. In fact I called the Marion County office around April 2nd to find out if they were open for registration. I was told yes, but it was suggested I wait until the second week of April as they were busy.
There were arrested by the “Sexual predator unit?” What if those people arrested are not and never were sexual predators? Lmfao. Buffoons.
I was going to say the same thing. They do that on purpose as it makes the neighbors think everyone they visit are predators. NO this is not an opinion, I asked a deputy that one time and that is what he told me.
So I guess you could say that is HIS opinion but one that I believe. Why couldn’t they just put S.O.U , short Sex offender unit? BECAUSE when they visit you, EVEN if you are not required to notify your neighbors, they make sure THEY do with their flashy bullet proof vest with that on it.
I pray each time they come by none of my neighbors are outside. Once a regular deputy checked on me and when the neighbor asked if everything was ok, I said they were following up on something, which was true without giving out too much info.
I was in the registration office when this happened. The detective told him it was his job to call again as many times as it took to complete registration as they were cuffing him and that they had no record of his phone message. Florida has open records laws so for his sake I hope there is a record of his attempts.
Where I go, there are two doors, if you go in the first door, you register, if you go in the second door, you never come back out. So far I have not seen anyone get asked into the 2nd door yet.
I keep all of my paper copies of registrations as evidence.
Marion county is a EVIL county !! It’s seems that they (Entire County Gov ) HATE anyone that “Has a past” and anyone that “Stands against them” !! I’ve been told by the Sex Offender Unit officers that, Even if the State says to stop ” The Registry Enforcement” they WONT !! . AND Hear this, During this Covid-19 Pandemic, When all Courts and Gov offices are/we’re closed, Marion County “Code Enforcment” was/is out searching for violations and continuing to HARASS people that stand against them !! They’ve been by almost WEEKLY to take pics and document the “Status” of a case !! Because they !(Code Enforcement) says that someone ” Has too many Vehicles !! And they consider people’s ” Stuff”, JUNK !! According to Code, People in Marion county aren’t allowed to own anything “USED” !?!?!?. Marion County Florida seems to be a “CountRy of its own !! I can’t wait to get outta this state !!
This crap scares me,(supposedly)Duval did everything via phone. Sure, we have phone numbers and voice mails from “detectives “, but what stops the people at JREC from arresting my husband in six months when he checks in again claiming he didn’t register six months prior? I’m so sick of it all.
@Andrea, tell your husband to do what I plan to do. Your detailed phone bill should list all outgoing and incoming calls and duration of calls. I will print/copy/bring it with me the next time I need to make any in-person changes. Also, I’m pretty sure all our calls are recorded by JSO/JREC so they already have the proof.
He’s saving all his voicemails and phone numbers, I also told him to drive by JREC and take pictures if there are signs stating they’re closed. I had also told him to call the detective that comes to.the house twice year and have her check and verify for him. I figure it’s part of her job, make her do the work.(maybe that sounds petty but I don’t give a damn)