Sheriffs Offices Pursuing Petty Offenses
In the past few months, Florida Sheriff’s Offices are looking for low-hanging fruit by going after some very petty offenses. Volusia County issued a press release today announcing the arrest of “76 Volusia County Sex Offenders and Predators”, but when you dig into the details, you will find that very few – just a few – were arrested for a new sex offense. Most were for technical registration violations or some pretty petty crimes. One of the 76, for example, was charged with having a caged racoon.
According to a Sheriff’s office spokesperson, the operation (called “Operation Neptune”) was said to last three-months! That’s a lot of time! The U.S. Marshals Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement assisted in the operation. That’s a lot of resources!
What most stories don’t promote is that hundreds (representing more than 9/10ths) of the checks they did, were completely compliant.
A few months ago, in Polk County, “Operation Karma” yielded 26 arrests, most were for failure to register a co-habitant’s vehicle. A violation of a law that many arrested had no clue about. Sheriff Grady Judd told WFTV, “The big question I have is why are these people not reporting these cars or their online identities? They are apparently up to no good and we are going to hold them accountable.” It seems nobody was caught being “up to no good”, they were just trapped by some confusing registration requirements.
And here’s a worst and one that we intend to follow up on… Earlier this month, Steven Williams, a homeless registrant from Brevard County was arrested for eating breakfast at a Burger King – a benign act, but the Burger King was apparently within 1000 feet of a tennis court! If anyone has access to this individual, please contact [email protected].
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Thank you, Cherokee Jack and Jacob. You have helped to lift my spirits today.
Mike, I am praying for you and your family. We are told that God can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and that is what I am asking for you and your family.
I am terrified all the time because if things like this. I’ve been out since 2010, off probation since 2013. Married, have a step son and a new baby. Went to college, graduated. Started a business. I struggle so hard to build a life for my family. But these sheriff’s that like to get on camera and makes themselves look mighty scare me. I would move to another state, but where? I’ve researched laws, some states I couldn’t even live with my own kids. So I feel as though I can’t win either way. The stress is o overwhelming days like today. I just hope I didn’t before they trap me and send me back.
This really gets me angry ! And whats it up with these lame names for the operations ? Operation Neptune ? How about I start operation Uranus where I can come and stick it to you ! Idiots! They have nothing better to do then to harass citizens who have paid their debt and trying their hardest to get their life together.
Sheriff’s unlike police chiefs could lose their jobs every 4 years when elections role around. They want to look tough on crime no matter who gets hurt in the fray
Just saw the story again and out of the 1000 offenders they checked on, 76 were arrested. Less than 10%. There were many they could not get a hold of so they said more arrests could be coming.
Great Idea! Any freelance journalists out there who could perform a “First Amendment” check on public right-of-way at the SO and film the event for an article you may be writing for some entity? Youtube if full of “First Amendment” checks with videos that show how much law enforcement doesn’t like them even though you are not committing any violations of the law or giving any cause for detention ie. Terry Stop. Although they try to threaten and bogart you into giving them ID, you don’t have to, in fact you don’t even have to talk to them. I’ll bet Grady Judd would blow a gasket if someone exercised their constitutional rights at his castle. How about some suggestions for the article’s title?
“Grady Judd pulls the plug on Constitutional Rights”
“Grady Judd up to something during First Amendment Check”
“Grady Judd, passionate persecutor or closet victim?”
How about grady judd shady perpetrator?
” a homeless registrant from Brevard County was arrested for eating breakfast at a Burger King – a benign act, but the Burger King was apparently within 1000 feet of a tennis court! ”
What the hell ?? I’m confused. You can’t be near Tennis courts ? Don’t tell me kids go to tennis courts because I have seen more kids at Burger kings or Mcdonalds then some Tennis courts – which are mostly occupied by adults.
Correct – Brevard has a 1000 foot proximity ordinance.
Does the Brevard ordinance specifically list tennis courts? Or have they tried to put it under the umbrella of a playground or park?
Brevard County Ordinance
https://library.municode.com/fl/brevard_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH74OFMIPR_ARTVISEOFSEPR
Thank you, JZ. It only lists parks and playgrounds, so if I had to pick one, I would put a tennis court under playground. But that is simply trying to make an educated guess, and that interpretation is far too vague. I know that the individual involved does not have the money to bring a lawsuit against the vagueness of the ordinance, but from everything that I have been reading, courts are striking down these ordinances that are so vague. The county attorneys are telling the local governments they will not win in court with such vague ordinances. I am waiting to see a county such as Brevard find a bench at a city bus stop, plant a tree by it, and call it a park.
An outdoor tennis court is a playground, while an outdoor tennis court is not, according to the Brevard law, definitions sections. The good news is that for the part of Florida you’re looking at, I am unaware of any banishment laws that are nearly as broad and as sweeping as the one in Brevard that can get one arrested for dining at the wrong Burger King. Stay out of Seminole and Brevard!
Ridiculous. You basically can’t leave the house to go anywhere. Even for a basic necessity like eating. You are always going to be within 1000 feet from something. I have never been to Brevard, but I imagine the Sheriffs department where they have to register is 1000 feet within a red zone as well. This is plain stupid.
Has FAC or anyone challenged any of these proximity ordinances in court?
Yes – it was challenged in Seminole county and was doing well, but the plaintiffs dropped out when they could not remain anonymous
That is such a shame. !!! Anyone on the Registry should be able to remain anonymous if they feel better about fighting the fight. They are on a Registry and folks all over the US can look them up, so actually they will never be anonymous. If they were to form a group of people under a group name, would that be something that could keep individuals names anonymous, Please don’t give up on the fight in Seminole County.
Is there any guideline on what we are obligated to do and not on these local pd visits? Ive gotten everything from ok thanks to where is he? Why isnt he home? He needs to be home when we are here….. mind you i am not on any probation or comm control or anything. They look at my children and they just treat my wife like shes hiding something meanwhile the three times its happened i was at my inlaws helping or at walmart shopping. I call the dispatch and have them write a note on the encounter that i called them and inget nothing. They tell my wife i need to call the pd yet no number no card and incall them and nothing. They say i need to contact my detective yet ive never had any contact with anyone there except those officers that have done that weird check. Never gotten an fdle notice for an address verification but as i said im always updating travel at sheriff every month. What powers do they have? Its never the sheriff its the local pd that harasses us. What do i really legally need to show them? Why can they come onto my home in the first place?
If you are not on probation, all that is required is to show them your ID and be polite. There is no obligation to answer any questions.
DO NOT let police in your home without a warrant.
There is no obligation for you to be home when they come, nor is there any obligation to tell them where you are.
Jm raises a good question. He states that this isn’t the Sheriff doing these checks but the local PD.
Do they have any type of authority whatsoever to conduct any type of check? Better stated, does a registered citizen need to comply with a local pd as they would with a Sheriff?
Until today I have never thought about that as I have never encountered it. I should think you don’t even need to answer the door if they knock… you don’t btw.
When I lived in the city limits, the local police came by and did the checks to verify your address instead of the sheriff’s department. If they make several attempts to verify and cannot because you either are not home or not cooperating with them, they will report this to the Florida Department of Law enforcement as no verified address. If you are not on probation and they are coming by more than twice a year, you can file a grievance. Offenders are checked twice a year if not on probation but predators they check on once a month even if not on probation ( at least in the county I live in ).
Im an offender: pd by all the time. Not on probation or anything.
Why would you call yourself an offender? Don’t use their language of war. When people adopt their language, that signals that it is legitimate. None of it is.
You are just a person who is listed on an immoral, illegal, anti-American big government hit list. That’s it. What do you want to call yourself? A Registered Person? A Person Registered for Harassment, Restrictions, and Punishment? That is the one I like.
F LE enforcement. Never allow them to speak to you. There is no need.
Who would take a grievance? Would anyone even care or would i just be opening up my family to more harassment? The fed govt thought it good to help me and give me these non invasive sentence yet some sheriff and backwards state decides to make my life miserable..
I and my wife have literally been threatened with warrants and arrest if i m not at hone. They make her sign some papers even though i report my travel to the sheriff as indicated but they apparently dont speak to each other. This past time they had some older version of the printout but thank goodness i jad just gone to the vcso and updated my travel and left a copy for her to have. I think this is irresponsible practice if our lives literally depend on it.
She should NEVER sign anything they give her.
Shes shaken and its always the same threat. She NEEDS to sign this or they come back with a warrant. Or threaten to speak to the neighbors with the flyer to ask if i really live there. Shes a wreck after each time. Its only happened three or four times in the past 3 years and two of those times within the past 3 months but thats enough.
The accusation is that shes hiding something. Then that turn into a horrible conversation and weeks of her anxiety that theybwill take our children away. I dont even have a residency restriction!!!
Do you have a copy of what she has signed?
A Registered Person’s spouse or other family members should never, ever speak to law enforcement. Do not allow those criminals to get near your family.
What do you do though, when your husband has dementia and can get confused? He needs me as his spokesperson and protector.
Its an affidavit stating that i am a resident of that address and do actually hold residence there. They say they cannot give us a copy. If wed like we can take it up with someone at the station. Its my pic and info on a cutout stapled to some form of paperwork. Its the same paper they make me sign stating that its me on the paper and that i live there. Im told im
Bound to sign but ive never been under any supervision or control in florida: im federal out of state so ive never dealt with absolutely anyone here and if i do t sign then they need to verify via knocking on neighbors and if noone corroborates they escalate.
The threat is they will go to the neighbors and show them the flyer and ask if i live there. The assertion is that shes hiding something. Id love it if they only came twice a year since im always at the sheriffs office every mo th for travel updates which they tell me inconsistant policy as well. No consistancy on the three day thing. More nerves and fear. Id go away for 4 just to avoid the confusion….. pretty sad.
SarahF, you are absolutely right that your husband needs you as his protector and spokesperson, since the law, among its many problems, does NOT make exceptions for dementia! Among other things, he will need your assistance conducting his registration.
That being said, you are NOT obligated to speak to police if they come to your door to do a check. Innocent attempts to explain things away surprise questions could prove counter-productive! I’d be surprised if they threaten you, but in the event they do, you may be better off saying nothing and call a lawyer. Because for certain situations, THAT will be his spokesperson. It’s reasonable, though, to summon him in order to show them his face and ID, so they can verify he lives where he says he does.
(I tried replying directly to your comment. FAC wouldn’t let me. Prolly too deep in the thread).
I could not respond to SarahF either so I’ll respond to both of you here. 🙂
SarahF, it is great that you are protective of your husband and so helpful. I agree with Jacob that someone absolutely needs to help any person who has dementia or anything similar because these criminal regimes do not give a flip if there is anything wrong with your husband, you, or any of your family. They would be happy if you were all dead. I’m sorry if that is harsh, but these criminal regimes and the “people” working in them, are scumbags.
But I disagree a bit with Jacob. I would not allow law enforcement (LE) onto my property at all. I certainly would not answer the door for them or speak to them. It is a very well known fact that a person should ALWAYS attempt to never speak to LE. LE is always looking to harm someone. A person could be discussing Registration and think they are just having a simple, friendly conversation, but LE is looking for ways to arrest someone. They absolutely will attempt to distort and twist ANYTHING that you say into a crime or at the very least, something to harm your credibility.
There really are just no good reasons for people to talk LE. ESPECIALLY people who are listed on the hit list. Never speak to them and only give them the absolute MINIMUM amount of information, IN WRITING, that you are forced by law to give (at the point of a gun, of course). You don’t have to look very hard to find thousands of legal cases where people were innocent and conversations with LE got them arrested and convicted! Flipping shocking.
People who are Registered need to put a stop to LE thinking they can ever speak to them. A clear message needs to be sent that Registries are not acceptable and no one is going to help the scumbags implement them.
My message to LE is – stay off of my property, stay away from my family, and go F yourselves.
This… is completely out of bounds as you are under ZERO obligation to be home during a address verification. This is sounding more and more like intentional harassment in order to make you want to move away from that area.
Rest assured, you CANNOT be lawfully arrested if you are not home during one of these checks. Search warrant? Zero probable cause for such.
Ive got nothing to base any consistancy on: sheriffs dept says im good but the local pd says im not for some insane reason since in not always home. We fear going out and not having anyone home but we dont know whats worse: one being there and me not or noone there and they go around the neighborhood to verify.
Tell them to go F themselves.
And people need to get over the “neighbors”. F them too. If they are dipsh*t, immoral, helpless anti-Americans who loves Registries, then make law enforcement (LE) go talk to them. Let them “verify” things. I promise you in the long run, that is so much better. Never all LE to get near you and you never need to worry about speaking with them. There is NOTHING good that would ever come from you speaking with them and you never should.
Why is a person required to do anything? In most places in the U.S., Registered People don’t ever have to allow law enforcement on their property or near them. Seems as if Floriduh law enforcement is constantly operating outside of the law and they need to be controlled. People should never assist law enforcement. Not for any reason.
I hate to say it but, all this foolishness may be a blessing in disguise. Eventually a judge somewhere is going to see that law enforcement and law makers are not happy that we are not violating and going back to prison so to get us off the streets they make up new ordinances ( Not laws ) that surpass the law to make it so hard for us we either mess up, give up or move away. Maybe a judge that believes in applying the law based on the constitution and not their feelings and see we are just people with families trying to rebuild our lives but are never fully allowed to without looking over our shoulders
I would like to see the stats on the number of people who actually kidnapped a kid from a playground. Those are put all over the news when they happen but most are not stranger danger but most accusers are from people that know each other.
It has NEVER happened – unless you count parents in custody battles with their spouse. Someone that the kid knows or the family knows – the other parent!
It is yet another urban myth perpetuated by useless POLITICIANS such as professional victim Senator Lauren Book and her endless rhetoric of BS!
Time to STOP the lies – this BullSH^T has gone on TOO LONG!
Hope it is ok to post this. Here is the news story and video of the story
https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190812/76-volusia-sex-offenders-and-predators-charged-by-sheriffs-deputies
I hear the bitterness in the posts written by many of the FAC members at this website. For me in life, my glass has always been half full, not half empty. God has a solution for every problem.
I am reading this article about the petty offenses SORs are being arrested for and all the man power put into these operations, while I no longer feel safe going anywhere in Jacksonville anymore because of all the REAL crime there (muggings, murders, carjackings, etc.), and I suddenly get a call from my husband’s Release Officer. She introduced herself and was a very nice lady, but this is what she informed me of:
My husband and I had been looking forward to his release date when we could make a stop on our 2-hour and 40-minute drive home so that he could have one of his favorite meals at a Sonny’s Barbecue Restaurant. I was told that it would not be a good idea for us to stop anywhere. He would be wearing an ankle monitor and would be closely monitored on his way home.
I then asked if that meant he could not even stop for a restroom break. There was a long silence at the other end of the phone. I could tell that the lady had compassion for our situation, but that she had no authority to give me permission to do anything. When she did not reply, I told her that he is elderly, has some physical issues, and there is no way that he can make the long drive home without a bathroom stop. The best she could do is let probation know ahead of time about my concerns. She then told me that on his release date, I would be given the phone number of his probation officer, and I should call before leaving the prison and see what the officer had to say about our stopping for a restroom break.
I am starting to feel the bitterness that so many of you express in your posts, but still look for God’s solutions in all of this.
Sarah Prayers for you and your husband. It will be a rough road but you can get through it. You just have to second guess everything you do.
Stay strong, and please try not to give into bitterness. It won’t do you any good.
I’d be a little surprised if the PO said, don’t go to the restroom. More likely, they might say, make sure it isn’t this type of place or that type of place, and don’t loiter, otherwise OK. At worst, they just won’t reply with an answer.
It’s ironic that some people are more fearful of release than they are of incarceration, for reasons just like this. But that feeling should go away rather quickly as things normalize, you get to know the PO, and your husband gets some practice complying with his conditions in the real world. Then you will begin to appreciate how much more freedom he has, compared to when he was incarcerated.
KEEP in MIND guys and gals if you are NOT on probation, you do not have to let ANY officer or Deputies in your house unless you are on probation or they have a legit warrant. My Deputy just wants to make sure I really live where I say I do then tells me to make sure to register and goes away until next time.
Amen to that Cherokee Jack, I screen my phone calls and don’t answer the door when there is a knock. I have petty good landlord who installed a peep hole in my front door.. He asked me why I never answer the door so he can come in fix my toilet from stop running. I told him cops have a policy “knock and talk” I am not some 19 year old kid who don’t know the law now! He laugh came back with drill and install the peep hole for me!