Small town reaction to release of sex offender

Sex Offender to Move Blocks Away from Three Schools


Jan 18, 2008 12:31 AM EST


By Emily Matesic

A meeting is scheduled Thursday night to inform neighbors about the release of a sex offender. The safety of children is a very big concern because of where he will be living.

Kenneth Davis Junior will be living on Grant Street, blocks away from West De Pere middle and high school and Westwood Elementary.

The West De Pere School District and the De Pere Police Department have been working together ever since they learned Davis, a registered sex offender, would be released in the community.

"As soon as we found out about the release, we began to contact the local schools, talked to the principals and administrators to let them know exactly where we were coming from, and to provide as much information on the release of the offender," De Pere Police Captain Brian Messerschmidt said.

Davis will be living with his parents at 1010 Grant Street, a home that sits right in the middle of a school zone.

"I understand the frustration of trying to place people. Probably everybody would react the same way we and the police department react, and they've got to go somewhere. It seems to me it would be nice if it wasn't downtown by schools," West De Pere Superintendent Lanny Tibaldo said.

But since the State Department of Corrections is responsible for where sex offenders live, the only thing the school district and police can do is prepare for his release.

"We've gone door-to-door in the general vicinity of the neighborhood. We advised the schools, school administrators, school staff. We've also gone to local businesses, local taverns, local liquor stores to advise them of the individual being released on the 22nd of January," Messerschmidt said.
Police say Davis is known to target young females and use the Internet to contact his victims.

When he's released, he'll live under tight restrictions. He'll be electronically monitored and is prohibited from using the Internet.

"He will not have any access to computers, to a wireless hub, to anything of that sort," Messerschmidt said. "We've contacted the local libraries, St. Norbert college, all the schools in the general vicinity as well as places like Starbucks where you have free-standing computers."

Because of that planning, Tibaldo says, "I feel confident the De Pere police and the Department of Corrections are going to monitor him very closely, and we'll be kept abreast of what's going on."

Tibaldo added, "We've had secure schools, as secure as we can make them, for a long time. Our doors are locked, they have to go through the front exit. We've been doing this since 2000, 2001, and so we have supervisors out in our playgrounds and the crosswalk guards the city employs will be tuned in to this."

Neighbors Have Questions About Sex Offender Near Schools

By Jason Zimmerman

Dozens of neighbors showed up at a meeting Thursday night asking questions about a convicted sex offender moving in next week.

Kenneth Davis Junior, 28, is known to target young females and use the Internet to contact his victims. When he's released from prison, he'll live with his parents on Grant Street -- a house that's blocks from West De Pere high school and middle school and Westwood Elementary School.

A lot of parents said they're planning to take extra precautions once Davis moves in next Tuesday.

The Department of Corrections and local police took questions about Davis and addressed concerns over his past. Davis will live under tight restrictions, including electronic monitoring and absolutely no access to the Internet.

Police encouraged neighbors to report problems, to keep an extra eye on their neighborhood, and to talk to their kids.

"Educate my kids, show them the picture, remind them about safety at home, keep the door locked, point out the house, make sure they are in groups if walking in the neighborhood, just basic safety," said parent Debbie Pasterski, who told us she lives six houses down from where Davis will live.

Other people said they're glad police are notifying the public but that it's not too comforting knowing who's moving in.

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=7739362


If only all cities in America were in tune to the sex offenders in their neighborhood, we could all work together to keep our families safe. In larger cities people seem to ignore the local sex offenders and law enforcement only informs neighbors within 1000 ft of only the most dangerous predators.
Ignorance is not bliss.

Wanted sex offenders

Boulder County's most wanted sex offenders

Contributed by: Brit Horvat/YourHub.com on 1/17/2008

The following individuals have been placed on Boulder County's most wanted list for failure to register warrants. The state sex offender registry includes only those persons who have been convicted of certain acts of unlawful sexual behavior since July 1, 1991, and who are in compliance with the sex offender registration laws.

Persons should not rely only on the sex offender registry as a safeguard against perpetrators of sexual assault in their communities. The crime for which a person is convicted may not accurately reflect the level of risk.

Commander Phil West says there is no special unit designated to finding the following suspects - as the Boulder County Sheriff's Office relies solely on tips from the public.

According to Cmdr. West, David Baldeagle and Terry Wayne Barnett are currently in custody out-of-state, but their warrants are not extraditable -- meaning once they complete their time out-of-state, they'll be released and will still have a warrant for their arrest in Colorado.

In addition, based on a recent news tip, William Matthew Smolich is allegedly in Arizona -- but still has a Colorado warrant.

TAKE NO ACTION TO APPREHEND THESE PERSONS YOURSELF.

Contact the Boulder County Sheriff's Office to report any information and/or whereabouts of these individuals by calling 303-441-4444.

David Dakota Baldeagle

50 years old

Native American male

5'11", 190 lbs

Black hair, brown eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Sex assault

Terry Wayne Barnett

40 years old

White male

5'10", 170 lbs

Brown hair, green eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Felony solicit to commit aggravated prostitution (Tennessee conviction)

Ray Miles Shafto

57 years old

White male

5'07", 160 lbs

Brown hair, brown eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Sex assault on a child

Daniel Gordon Hammond

41 years old

White male

5'07", 180 lbs

Blonde hair, blue eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Indecent exposure

Guillermo H. Rios

51 years old

White (Hispanic) male

5'07", 132 lbs

Brown hair, brown eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Third-degree sex assault

Jose Alberto Medina-Garcia

31 years old

White (Hispanic) male

5'07", 120 lbs

Black hair, brown eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Sex assault

Steven Lawrence Rexroad

53 years old

White male

5'06", 185 lbs

Brown hair, green eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Lewd and lascivious acts with child under 14 (California)

William Matthew Smolich

39 years old

White male

5'11", 195 lbs

Blonde hair, brown eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Attempted sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and sexual contact-no consent

Glen Everett Gibson

38 years old

White male

5'09", 165 lbs

Blonde hair, blue eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Convicted misdemeanor voyeurism/peeping (South Carolina)

Joshua Aaron Winkler

36 years old

White male

6', 150 lbs

Brown hair, hazel eyes

Convictions requiring registration: Unlawful sexual contact

What to do when a sex offender is in your neighborhood

Registered Sex Offender in the Neighborhood

By Geoff Steurer, MS, LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Question:My question concerns registered sex offenders. We just had one move into our neighborhood which has tons of young kids in it. There are actually children in the home of the sex offender. He is the grandpa.How should this be handled? We recognize his needs, but are also concerned about the safety of the neighborhood children. It is difficult, too, for the children in the home. They are welcome to play at the neighbors, but neighbors' children aren't allowed in the home of the offender. Thanks for any insights and suggestions.

Answer:Protecting children from sexual offenders is on the mind of virtually every parent these days. Your question not only asks what can be done to protect your children and their friends from a sexual offender, but also asks how to help his grandchildren who could also be at risk.

I will talk about what we know about how to protect children from potential abusers and then make some suggestions about the possible threat to your neighbor’s grandchildren.

First, it’s important to understand that the majority of children who are sexually abused by an adult typically have an established relationship of trust with the perpetrator. Although abuse by strangers is a disturbing reality, it’s more likely to happen with someone the child already knows and trusts.While it is impossible to protect children from all forms of sexual predation, there are ways to head off a potential situation. Anna Salter, author of “Predators: Who they are, how they operate, and how we can protect ourselves and our children,” recommends that parents adopt two strategies for increasing the protection of children from sexual offenders.

Our most effective strategy is deflection. This strategy is based on the idea that parents simply make it difficult for a sexual offender to have access to their children.

Salter writes, “It is a slider, this business of protecting our children. On the one extreme there would be few opportunities for our children but few opportunities for pedophiles as well. On the other extreme, there would be many opportunities for our children and many also for child molesters. Where you set the slider will determine how many opportunities your children have and how many molesters have.”

Even though parents can’t always be with their children, they can certainly create a presence in their children’s lives, both physically and emotionally. There may even come a point at which children don’t want their parents around anymore, but parents can still maintain an awareness and involvement that can create a level of deflection from a potential predator.

The level of involvement by a parent is a highly personal choice that no expert or book can dictate.Another strategy is detection, which is based on a parent’s ability to figure out who is an offender and who isn’t.

Unfortunately, this is difficult to detect with any degree of accuracy. It is virtually impossible to detect who will perpetrate on your child because most sexual offenders are often viewed by others as “nice people.”

However, there might be suspicious signs such as an individual who takes an unusual interest in your child, your child not wanting to spend time with a certain adult, or inconsistent verbal or facial expressions that trigger mistrust.

One aspect of detection that is often overlooked is your child’s observed or reported discomfort with another person. If your child ever expresses any discomfort or disinterest about spending time with someone, it’s important to take them seriously and create a safe context where they can discuss their concerns.

If they report behaviors that appear to be inappropriate, it’s critical that you believe them and take immediate action to prevent further contact.

Regarding the children who live with their sexual offender grandfather, here are a few ideas for you to consider. First, you can gather information from www.familywatchdog.us to learn about the neighbor’s criminal record. You may discover more information about the offender’s record that could affect what other steps you choose to take.

I’m aware of situations where concerned neighbors have respectfully approached a registered sex offender in their neighborhood to talk about their concerns for the safety of the children in the neighborhood.

Sometimes it leads to effective discussions on how to appropriately supervise and protect children. Other times, it produces no results. Either way, it accomplishes the purpose of deflection. It sends the message that there are concerned citizens who want to protect children. It’s a message that’s difficult to misunderstand.

I would encourage you to allow all of the neighborhood children to play in a common area under adult supervision. As long as children are allowed to be children and interact appropriately with others, it’s in everyone’s best interest to let them gather as neighborhood friends.

If the children living with the registered sex offender are in danger, you can only hope that they will feel safe enough with you or another neighbor to disclose any abuse so you can report it to the authorities.

Your willingness to educate yourself and your other neighbors about how to keep the neighborhood children safe through detection and deflection is a proactive and healthy response to your concerns.

Should Sex Offenders Get Tougher Penalties?

Lawsuit challenges sex offender laws

By Matt Sanctis

Staff Writer

Friday, January 18, 2008

SPRINGFIELD — Charles Gibson may well be the first sex offender in Clark County to challenge the state's new laws after he filed for a temporary restraining order earlier this week.

In a complaint filed in Clark County Common Pleas Court Monday, Gibson, of New Carlisle, requested that the court step in and prevent any action in his case, arguing that a recently passed state law that would alter his classification as a sex offender is unconstitutional.


The case centers on a federal law called the Adam Walsh Act that requires states to increase registration requirements for sex offenders before 2009. States that do not comply could lose federal funding. The law will affect thousands of sex offenders in Ohio, many of whom will have to register with their local sheriff's office for at least five more years than was previously required.

The problem, said Jay Lopez, an attorney representing Gibson in the case, is that the law applies retroactively, and in many cases, including Gibson's, will mean tougher requirements for sex offenders who have already been sentenced.

"We're just trying to maintain what the courts have previously decided," he said.

He said similar complaints have also been filed in Miami, Darke, Shelby and Montgomery counties. The Clark County Prosecutor's and sheriff's offices, as well as the Ohio Attorney General's Office, are all named in the complaint.

Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly said Gibson's complaint was the first he has heard of in the county after the new law took effect this month

The prosecutor's office will work with the state before responding, said Clark County Prosecutor Stephen Schumaker.

"This was something that was expected and we'll coordinate with the Ohio Attorney General's Office," he said.

Similar complaints have been filed statewide, and Ohio officials have been expecting the challenges, said Jennifer Brindisi, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

Ohio was one of the first states to pass the laws. She noted the courts will likely have the final say, but the attorney general's office will defend the law, which she said will protect families and make a statement that Ohio will not be a "safe haven" for sex offenders.

"I don't think it was a surprise to anybody that there would be challenges," she said. "It's a good policy and we're going to stick to that."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0355 or msanctis@coxohio.com.