Oprah Nabs Another Sex Offender

November 29, 2005

The efforts of the Oprah Winfrey Show brought Walter Edward Myer, 66, into custody on November 22, 2005. This is the third arrest since the October 4, 2005 debut of Oprah's Predator Watch List, which promised $100,000 to anyone who gives information leading to the capture of wanted sex offenders.

The Alabaman was found in Costa Rica, where he had been working as an English teacher, after fleeing his court hearing eight years ago. Myers is accused of 114 cases of child molestation in addition to several accounts of child pornography.

The FBI praised Oprah’s efforts, adding that they would like to continue involving the media in heightening public awareness in cases like Myer’s. Michael Gavin, supervisory senior resident agent of the Montgomery FBI, stated that a “vigilant public” is the best defense against sex crimes.

For more information see TheMontgomeryAdvertiser.com, and Oprah’s Website.

Pennsylvania's Registry Rated Sub Par

November 28, 2005

Pennsylvania recently received a "failing" grade for its sex offender registry on the Parents for Meghan's Law website. The site's executive director, Laura A. Ahearn, stated that a registry needs to provide more details in order to help citizens protect themselves.

The Pennsylvania registry only provides street addresses for the sexually violent predators, which constitute a very small percentage of the state's predators. The state also fails to provide information about the age or gender of the victims, or even the nature of the crime.

According to Lt. Janet McNeal, head of Pennsylvania's Megan's Law Enforcement, the database includes everything state law will allow. McNeal admitted that it is difficult for Pennsylvanians to get information which is easily accessed by citizens of other states.

When asked how the situation would be improved, McNeal stated that it is now up to legislators to change the law. She said that if Pennsylvania could post the addresses of all sex offenders, the problems surrounding the registry would be solved.

MapSexOffenders.com is currently unable to map Pennsylvania, and we encourage citizens to contact their legislators and encourage them to change the state's laws.

For more information see the PostGazette.com.

Judge Deems Pataki's Actions Illegal

November 17, 2005
After years of being frustrated in attempting to set up legislation to allow confinement of violent sex offenders after their prison terms’ end, Governor Pataki turned to existing law. Using the state’s involuntary commitment law, Pataki ordered 12 offenders to be held in psychiatric hospitals after the end of their prison terms. This seemed a success for Pataki until his actions were ruled illegal, and the men ordered to be released, by State Supreme Court Justice Jacqueline Silbermann.

Before the end of their prison terms, the 12 offenders were examined by three state-appointed psychiatrists and found in need of further confinement. However, a lawyer for the Mental Hygiene Legal Services said that the psychiatrists must be chosen by the court, not the state. She also declared that if the court-appointed psychiatrists found the patient in need of hospitalization, the state must then return to court, inform the patient’s attorney, and finally ask for a court hearing before taking any action. The state defended its actions by saying that because the men were to be released so soon and posed a threat to society, another section of state law allowed for confinement without all the legal steps.

Although Silbermann admitted to the validity of the state’s concern over the release of the violent offenders into the community, she deemed the state’s actions a violation of the offenders’ rights. Pataki contends that the court is giving sex offenders and rapists more rights and protections than regular citizens, and intends to appeal the decision.

For more information see the North Country Gazette and Newsday.com

6 News in NC Discovers Sex Offender Living Next to a School

Investigators from 6 News tracked down a sex offender living right next to Forest Heights Elementary School in Gastonia, NC. The investigators also learned that the sex offender had been living there for months before either the school or local officials were notified of his presence.

Michael Leach’s original child sex offense put him on probation, requiring him to get his residence as well as place of work approved by a probation officer. However, when Leach failed to register as a sex offender, he was fined and placed on a different probation. The terms of this new probation do not carry the same restrictions on where Leach can and can and cannot live, leaving him free to move as close to children as he wishes.

6 News reports that since learning of Leach’s presence, the elementary school has instituted several protective measures, such as escorts for children walking past Leach’s house, to keep the children safe. However, reporters also caught a young child on tape visiting Leach’s home on multiple occasions. His probation officers were unaware of such visits, and are currently investigating the probation violation.

Currently, a law that would require sex offenders to live at least a quarter mile away from schools is stuck in review at Raleigh.

For more information see WCNC.com

Hundreds of Michigan Offenders Arrested for Registry Violations

November 11, 2005
Police in Michigan recently finished a statewide sweep, looking for violators of the state sex offender registry law. The 55-day roundup yielded 846 arrests, with 465 facing charges of failure to verify address and 355 facing charges of failure to report new addresses.

Michigan State law requires sex offenders to confirm their addresses with authorities four times a year, with a maximum prison sentence for non-compliance set at 93 days. The law also stipulates that offenders must register new addresses within 10 days of moving, or face up to four years in prison.

As of November 1, the Michigan Sex Offender Registry consisted of 37,916 names. With police still unsure of the whereabouts of thousands of these offenders, officials are letting sex offenders know that this was only the first of many sweeps to crack down on non-compliance.

For more information see CourtTV.com and SOOEveningNews.com

Repeat Sex Offender Rapes 11-year-old Girl

November 7, 2005
A man was arrested on Sunday in Texas City, and now waits in jail with a $350,000 bond. The steep bond was assigned due to the severity of the charge of rape, and to the man’s status as a previously convicted sex offender.

The 11-year-old victim was out with a family friend Friday night when their car broke down. Troy Norman Volk, 43, pulled up to offer assistance. After connecting the jumper cables, he told the girl to get into his truck and push the accelerator.

When the jump did not work, Volk drove off with the 11-year-old under the pretence that they were going to buy parts for the car. Instead, Volk drove to a nearby house where he raped the young girl. He then drove to a bank, where he dropped her off and drove away. The girl was treated at a local hospital before returning to her family at the end of this weekend.

Police tracked Volk’s truck down with the help of witness accounts. At the time of arrest, Volk was still on parole for sexually assaulting two 35-year-old women in 1985.

For more information see The Galveston County News

Minnesota Company Seeks to Prevent Sexual Offences

November 7, 2005
New ads are appearing in Minnesota that directly target a group which few, if any, have ever advertised to—potential sex offenders. One such ad features a visibly distressed mother guarding her young daughter from the father. The ads are for a group called "Stop it now!", an organization which aims at encouraging potential sex offenders to seek help before their behavior hurts another person. Emphasizing prevention through educating and providing counsel for adults, the group lays out its goals as the following:

• Increasing the public’s knowledge of the perpetration of child sexual abuse.
• Teaching adults the skills to recognize signs of sexually abusive behavior.
• Working with families, peers and friends on how to intervene before a child is harmed.
• Challenging those who abuse, and families and friends who influence them to seek help, stop abusing, and face accountability

The group is unique in its approach to understanding sex offenders as a demographic group. Their research has yielded not only the organization’s distinctive advertisements, but also possible new methods for screening and detecting potential sex offenders. Although "Stop it Now!" functions only on a local level, its director, Yvonne Cournoyer, has hopes that they will be able to expand in the near future.

For more information see the Washington Post Online, and Stop it Now!’s Website

Missing Sex Offenders Found in Arizona

November 1, 2005
In the confusion following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, officials lost track of 4,500 sex offenders. A private company conducting background checks found at least five of the convicted offenders in the homes of Arizona citizens.

Keeping track of sexual predators is the responsibility of each individual state. Arizona has its own troubles keeping tabs on offenders—the locations of 763 sex offenders are currently unknown in Arizona—a problem now exacerbated by the fact that Mississippi and Louisiana had no way to record the movements of thousands of offenders fleeing during the turmoil of Katrina.

Officials are meeting obstacles while attempting to pinpoint the whereabouts of the missing sex offenders. As the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not release lists of evacuees to officials due to privacy laws, officers are left to the tedious process of manually tracking down the absconders.

For more information see AZCentral.com and Channel 5 News

Ex-Sex Offender Cautions Parents on Halloween

October 31, 2005
While officials across the country are stepping up security and implementing safety programs to keep sex offenders away from children on Halloween, a recovering sex offender warns parents that these measures are still not enough.

The 31-year-old convicted offender says that Halloween is a time of excitement for sex offenders, and asserts that there are thousands of predators just waiting for children to walk up to their doors. He pleads with parents to not give these men the chance they are waiting for by being aware of "who your children are going to be with," and by not letting "them out of your sight." This ex-offender is currently going through therapy and is speaking out because he wants to help parents.

For more information see Fox11AZ.com

Fear of Cost Prevented “Real Time” Tracking of Sex Offenders

October 31, 2005
Last week, Iowa reviewed its new sex offender law enabling officials to track sex offenders with digital bracelets. During the review, the legislative committee was shocked to learn that the bracelets did not track in "real time."

Governor Tom Vilsack’s original proposal covered constant supervision, but the committee faltered when told how much the plan would cost. Vilsack asserts that the committee was fully aware that the amount they were willing to spend would not cover the amount needed for real time surveillance. He also assures that if the committee were to decide to purchase more expensive equipment, he would be more than willing to sign the plan.

For more information see Radio Iowa