Police: Men Broke into Hotel, Beat up Sex Offender

8-28-2013 Idaho:

TWIN FALLS • Police say two men broke into a hotel room and beat a man who is a registered sex offender.

Bradley Houser, 35, was charged with felony aggravated battery. A second man has not been arrested.

A police report by Twin Falls Police Officer Samir Smriko gives this account:

Just before 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 23, police say, police went to the Super 7 Motel at 320 Main Ave. following a battery call.

As police entered the hotel room they saw Rick Perkins, 69, washing blood off his head and arms. Perkins had a two-inch gash on his forehead and multiple cuts in other places.

Perkins told police that at about 10 p.m., two men came to his door and threatened him. Perkins recognized one from a previous encounter. The men said they were going to beat him up because of a past child sex abuse case.

In 2008, Perkins was convicted on six counts of lewd conduct with a minor younger than 16. He was sentenced to a three years in prison and made parole in November 2011. Prosecutors said Tuesday that it was unclear if the beating was connected to that case.

Perkins told police the two men, who smelled of alcohol, initially left his room because other people were around, but soon returned, closed the door behind them and started beating him.

The beating lasted for about 10 minutes. As he spoke to officers, Perkins grabbed his side in pain several times.

Paramedics arrived and Perkins declined to be taken to a hospital, but was informed he would need stitches on his head.

Police later found Houser in the 200 block of Alexander Street but couldn’t locate the other man.

Houser was extremely intoxicated and had to use a fence to hold himself up, police said. He told them he and another man who he didn’t know went to the hotel and Perkins swung at them.

Houser is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 6. Prosecutors will attempt to show that they have enough evidence to take Houser to trial. ..Source.. by Alison Gene Smith

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Idaho man charged with beating sex offender

8-28-2013 Idaho:

TWIN FALLS -- One man has been charged with a felony and southern Idaho police are seeking a second man in connection with the beating of a registered sex offender.

The Times-News reports 35-year-old Bradley Houser has been charged with felony aggravated battery. He has not yet entered a plea.

Twin Falls Police Officer Samir Smriko wrote in a police report that officers were called to a Twin Falls motel last week to investigate a battery. They found 69-year-old Rick Perkins, who had a two-inch gash on his forehead and other injuries.

According to the report, Perkins said two men came to his door and began beating him because of a past child sex abuse case. Perkins was convicted of six counts of lewd conduct with a child in 2008. ..Source.. by KTVB.COM

House Fire, Of Man Charged With Child Porn, Ruled Arson

8-30-2013 Pennsylvania:

ALIQUIPPA (KDKA) – A vacant house fire in Aliquippa Thursday morning has been determined to be an arson.

According to officials at the scene, the fire broke out in the 2000-block of McLean Street around 3 a.m.

When firefighters arrived, they found a fire that was growing in intensity. It did not take long for it to go to three alarms.

The fire chief pulled firefighters from the building to focus on preventing the fire from spreading to neighboring homes.

“Heavy fire, a lot of smoke upon initial entry and then it pretty much flared up after that. There was nobody in the home, but it sustained heavy damage. There weren’t any utilities to the building. We’ve called the state police fire marshal in to investigate. It looks suspicious at this time,” Aliquippa Fire Chief Dave Foringer said.

By 8 a.m., arson investigators determined someone unlocked the door, set the first floor on fire and locked up as they walked out.

As state police fire investigators continue to comb through the evidence, police want to talk to the man who last lived at the house. However, he has already been in trouble with the law recently.

Clifford Karolski was accused and pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year-old girl at the residence. He was sentenced to five years of probation.

Karolski is also presently out on $10,000 bond after being charged earlier this year after investigators said they found over 1,000 images of child pornography on a computer taken out of his home.

Neighbors said they’ve seen Karolski in and around the home over the last few weeks.

Investigators are not calling Karolski a suspect in the apparent arson. However, sources close to this investigation said they want talk to anybody who may have a key to the home. ..Source.. by Ross Guidotti

Loveland couple accused of planning to rob pedophiles

1-28-2013 Colorado:

Dustin Canup, 20, and Sareena Morrison, 18, are facing six felony charges. Police say they were specifically targeting pedophiles who had already abducted children so Canup and Morrison could kidnap the kids themselves.

Canup was carrying a 12-inch knife and handcuffs when police nabbed them, police said.

"Part of their plan was to specifically lure pedophiles who had children with them who were looking to share these children. The two planned to kidnap the kids in addition to robbing the adult to whatever location they set up," Sgt. Mike Halloran with Loveland Police said.

The investigation took place quickly; within 12 hours time. Canup and Morrison were using the internet to lure pedophiles. Loveland Police were tipped off Friday morning, and then worked quickly with some investigators in Colorado Springs. The investigators in Colorado Springs specialize in child abduction cases.

"It looks like our detectives were able to intercept them prior to coming in to contact with anyone," Sgt. Halloran said.

Police aren't sure what the couple planned to do with the kids if they had successfully stolen any children away from the pedophiles.

The pair is currently being held in the Larimer County Jail. They are each facing six felony charges, which include the following:

Criminal Conspiracy to commit Kidnapping - Class 3 Felony
Criminal Attempt to commit Kidnapping - Class 3 Felony
Criminal Conspiracy to commit Aggravated Robbery - Class 4 Felony
Criminal Attempt to commit Aggravated Robbery - Class 4 Felony
Criminal Conspiracy to commit Extortion - Class 5 Felony
Criminal Attempt to commit Extortion - Class 5 Felony

..Source.. by Kevin Torres

Rapist Fights Eviction in Costa Mesa

1-8-1999 California:

Courts: Landlord acted after fliers from police and complaints by tenants. The case tests the limits of Megan's Law, which allows for notifying neighbors of a 'high-risk' sex offender's presence.

A convicted rapist who faces eviction from his Costa Mesa apartment complex after police distributed fliers warning neighbors of his presence is fighting to keep his home in a case that tests the limits of Megan's Law.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey T. Glass is considering the case, which marks a rare occasion in which a sex offender has fought to stay in his neighborhood despite the uproar.

Legal experts say it could trigger several rounds of legal battles as courts wrestle with trying to balance the constitutional rights of former convicts with the community's right to protect itself against potential harm.

Under Megan's Law, police agencies are permitted to inform citizens when a "high risk" sex offender is living near them. But it also sets limits on how the information is used and prohibits discrimination or harassment against the offender.

"This illustrates how Megan's Law, which allows only the dissemination of information, can be potentially used to attempt to remove a person from a neighborhood," said Robert Pugsley, a professor at the Southwestern University College of Law.

"Some court will have to reconcile the policy behind the law with the sometimes practical outcomes of the law, which can lead to harassment or the removal of a person from a living place," he added.

At the center of the case is Chris Decker, 44, who in September was ordered to move from the two-bedroom, West Wilson Street apartment he shares with a roommate. The notice came one day after Costa Mesa police distributed fliers in the area that identified him as a sex offender.

Decker's attorney, T. Matthew Phillips, argued in court this week that the threatened eviction constituted an unjustified, "vigilante" reprisal against a man who had paid his debt to society and wanted to live in peace.

Decker, who was convicted of the 1977 rape of a Garden Grove woman, was paying his $795 rent on time and lived without incident for seven months in the 24-unit apartment complex, Phillips said.

Decker's landlord, Robert Stellrecht Jr., said in court that he felt an obligation to protect his tenants, several of whom he said had expressed concern about Decker.

He said tenants, most of them female, had complained about unwanted sexual advances and uninvited touching from Decker. Phillips strongly denies the charges, calling them "phantom" complaints designed to help get his client evicted.

The landlord said no reason was needed to give Decker a 30-day notice because Decker had a month-to-month lease. But he did say the complaints and the Megan's Law fliers influenced his decision. ..Source.. by RICHARD MAROSI

Victim of Stabbing in Pecos Was Registered Sex Offender

8-23-2013 Texas:

A stabbing in Pecos turned into more in-depth story. On Friday, NewsWest 9 discovered that Felix Ornelas Jr., the victim of 17 stab wounds on Wednesday, was a registered sex offender.

His girlfriend, Robbyn Ochoa, told officers she stabbed him for attacking her. A six and eight year-old were at the home but were taken by grandparents. It was unclear why Ornelas was allowed in the same house with other children if he was registered as a sex offender for molesting a 13-year-old girl.

Ornelas is registered as a "moderate" threat. Pecos County Police Chief Clay McKinney says that even though he is registered, he can see other children except for his victim.

"I don't know the stipulation of his parole because I haven't seen it. The only thing that would change that is if one of those children were the victim from the offense," McKinney said.

The address that he was living at did not match the address Pecos Police have him registered.

According to neighbors, it seemed like the two knew each other and were living together for a long time. His friends in the neighborhood knew Ornelas Jr. by another name.

"We called him something different. Juni, we called him Juni," Jimmy Yniguez said.

Another member of the neighborhood, Montgomery, who didn't give his full name, said things like this aren't uncommon in this area.

"This is the east side. A little bit of everything happens around here," Montgomery said. ..Source.. by Brian Wise

Harlingen couple jailed for beating convicted sex offender

8-22-2013 Texas:

A Harlingen couple is facing criminal charges after being accused of brutally beating a convicted sex offender.

Harlingen police arrested 31-year-old Monica Nieves and her 19-year-old boyfriend Juan Quezada.

Investigators told Action 4 News that it all happened on the 200 block of East Madison Avenue.

Police said Nieves slapped and attacked the man while Quezada jumped in to punched him.

Both of them told police that they did it because the man was a sex offender.

Officers charged Nieves and Quezada with assault. Their bond was set at $1,000 dollars.

Authorities are asking people concerned about sex offenders or other criminals to contact the police instead of taking matters into their own hands. ..Source.. by Action 4 News Staff

Sex offender reports vandalism

12-13-2012 New York

BATH — A registered sex offender reported on Sunday that someone keyed his vehicle while it was parked in the Water Street parking lot, police said Monday.

Lt. Stanley Cielinski said the man believes that whoever committed the crime knows who he is. The man said he has no ongoing feud with anyone, Cielinski said.

The man reported the crime at 9:58 a.m. Sunday. The key marks extended around the entire vehicle, including the head lights and grill, Cielinski said.

The keying of a vehicle to that extent is unusual, the lieutenant said. ..Source..

Case highlights challenges of keeping child molesters safe in prison

5-10-2010 Maryland:

A Montgomery County judge shaved 14 years off a child molester's prison sentence Friday, a ruling that followed the same judge cutting almost 16 years off another molester's sentence in 2008.

In shortening the latest sentence, Circuit Court Judge Eric M. Johnson called Jason Lay a different person than he was five years ago, when he was convicted of making a 4-year-old girl perform sexual acts inside a townhouse in Germantown and sentenced to 30 years.

"I find your remorse to be genuine," Johnson told Lay, 26, who wore a blue state Division of Correction shirt and little expression on his face.

The new sentence, 16 years, is retroactive to 2005. Lay will be eligible for parole in 2013.

His case reflects the challenge of keeping child molesters safe in prison. Other inmates -- even those who give little thought to robbing or killing people -- often take a moral stand against child molesters, if only because they have children themselves.

Residents chase, beat sex assault suspect

8-18-2009 Pennsylvania:

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Philadelphia residents allegedly beat a sexual assault suspect they caught and held until police arrived, a Philadelphia police spokesman said.

The man, whose name was not reported, was chased Saturday night by residents who said they believed he had sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman that morning.

Residents had heard the man held the woman at gunpoint and assaulted her near 56th Street and Lansdowne Avenue, police told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

This is the second recent vigilante action in the city, the newspaper said.

Police said residents of the Kensington neighborhood beat Jose Carrasquillo, 26, a suspect in the June rape of an 11-year-old girl who was on her way to school. ..Source.. by UPI

Woman accused of plot to extort sex offender

7-29-2009 Florida:

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL -- A 46-year-old woman accused of a plot to extort thousands of dollars and a Cadillac from a sex offender with whom she reportedly had an amorous encounter faces a felony charge, according to a recently released arrest affidavit.

The 39-year-old victim told investigators July 8 he met a former co-worker, Carol Merrilee Wands, for lunch about a month prior.

The victim, who was sentenced to 15 years of sex offender probation in April 2005 after pleading no contest to a charge of lewd or lascivious battery, drove Wands to Chili’s in St. Lucie West in his 2003 Cadillac.

During lunch, the victim said, Wands revealed it had been “a long time” since she’d had sex and that she “needed a good man in her life,” an affidavit states.

The victim told investigators that on the ride home, Wands had him touch her chest.

The affidavit gave this account: At Wands’ residence, in the 400 block of Southeast Sandia Drive, Wands continued the encounter, putting her hands in his groin area. Wands grew hesitant and said she didn’t want to continue, and the victim stopped. They talked for awhile before the victim left.

The victim told investigators that about two weeks later he got a typed letter in an envelope he believed to be from Wands. The letter instructed him to make 33 payments of $1,000 in cash and provide the title to his Cadillac. He also was to give his probation officer’s name and supply proof of counseling sessions.

The letter writer wanted a lawyer to draft a contract “so that if the agreement was defaulted on, or something was to happen to the writer, the proceeds would continue to be paid to the writer’s family members, or a lien could be placed against "the victim,” the affidavit states.

In return, the writer indicated a report wouldn’t be filed with the victim’s probation officer “and therefore (the victim) would not go to jail.”

A state attorney’s office investigator, who declined this week to discuss the case in detail, helped the victim make “controlled recorded” calls to Wands, who reportedly threatened to file criminal charges against the victim unless she got cash and the Cadillac. Wands agreed to prepare a contract stating the victim would pay $1,000 and hand over the Cadillac on Monday. An additional $4,000 would be due by August 10.

The two met Monday and Wands produced the contract, which they signed. The victim gave Wands $1,000 and the key to his Cadillac before Wands was arrested on a felony extortion charge. ..Source.. by TC Palm.com

Man target of fake sex offender flier

Someone gets mad at another person and then calls them a "sex offender" because they know that label will inflict harm on that person in every facet of their life. This is similar to the Nebraska case this week!

7-5-2009 Illinois:

GENEVA, Ill. - A flier distributed in this western suburb of Chicago calls a real estate agent a sex offender when the man actually has no criminal record, authorities said.

Charles Bowgren, 53, was visiting his father in the hospital earlier this week when he learned about the flier that identified him as a sex offender. His daughter called him after a neighbor brought over the flier, which has an apparently doctored logo of the state Department of Corrections along with his photo and home address. It was sent to Bowgren's neighbors and his co-workers at a ReMax in the nearby suburb of St. Charles.

"What more can go wrong in one day?" Bowgren said Wednesday. "Obviously, it's all a fraud."

Geneva Police Commander Joe Frega said the flier looks like a total fabrication. He said police haven't yet determined a motive.

"I would guess there was malicious intent," Frega said. "If it's a joke, it's not very funny."

Bowgren, who lives with his daughter and granddaughter, called the incident "nerve-wracking" but said his neighbors are rallying behind him.

Jodi Ladron De Guevara, a neighbor who received the flier, called it "a very cruel joke."

"I've known Chuck for four years," she said. "He's a great humanitarian. He's a great guy." ..Source.. by AP

Deputies: St. Augustine woman stalked, extorted victims

8-14-2013 Florida:

Investigators say woman reported false crimes in attempt to impact their personal, professional lives

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. - A 39-year-old St. Augustine woman is accused of extorting and stalking six victims over the last year.

St. Johns County deputies said Tawny Blazejowski was using the Crime Stoppers tip line, the Department of Children and Families hotline, and the cyber tip line with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to make false reports of sexual and physical child abuse against the complainant.

Investigators said Blazejowski continually reported false crimes against several victims in an attempt to impact their personal and professional lives.

"There was enough evidence to support that it was her sitting at a keyboard actually sending out that information," said St. Johns County Sheriff's Sgt. Catherine Payne. "Stating that they were suspects of either physical child or sexual child abuse. So in turn the department of children and families would get involved."

During the investigation, detectives said they found evidence to support Blazejowski was using various means to threaten and extort her victims. Blazejowski was arrested in April and charged with two counts of extortion. She was released on $100,000 bond.

Deputies arrested Blazejowski again Wednesday on charges of extortion, four counts of aggravated stalking and making false reports to DCF.

"It appears there was some type of romantic relationship that went awry and that's how they are all connected," said Payne.

Husband stabbed alleged rapist

5-31-2013 Cayman:

Imposing sentence of two years, judge cites ‘very high provocation’

A husband who believed his wife had been raped was sentenced recently to two years imprisonment for wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm to the man he thought had raped her.

The husband had pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, but guilty to the wounding charge.

When accusations of rape are made, the Caymanian Compass does not report details of the case that would lead to the identity of the victim.

Justice Alexander Henderson heard the circumstances of the offence from Crown counsel Candia James. Defence attorney Fiona Robertson spoke in mitigation and the judge adjourned until the next day.

When the matter resumed, Justice Henderson summarised the material that had been presented to him. He said the defendant was enjoying an ostensibly happy relationship with his wife. On the day of the incident, she told him she had been raped by an acquaintance two days previously. It was not clear from the evidence if she had or had not been raped.

The judge said he approached the matter on the basis that the husband held a sincere belief that what his wife told him was true.

“The defendant was, of course, dismayed and angered by what he had been told,” the judge commented. “He became irrational.”

Shortly after being told, the husband had a conversation on his wife’s phone with the other man. An arrangement was made for the man to come to the house. Justice Henderson said the man no doubt thought he was going to enjoy a visit with the defendant’s wife.

Instead, when the man arrived, the defendant stabbed him once in the chest. The knife penetrated as far as the man’s heart, but lacerated the heart only to a slight degree.

The defendant was apparently filled with immediate remorse and called 911 for an ambulance. The wounding victim spent 10 days in the hospital.

For the most part, the husband cooperated with police and made repeated inquiries about the condition of his victim. When interviewed, he was shaking and in such a distressed state that emergency services were called to the scene to take a look at him, the judge noted.

In passing sentence, he said he was taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea, previous good character, genuine remorse and the fact that this was an isolated incident with a single stab wound, not a repeated attack.

“Finally, I am satisfied that there was a very high degree of provocation in this case. The defendant did have some time to allow his passion to cool before he stabbed the victim; it was not an act that occurred immediately after the revelation of the rape.

“However, the time period was short enough that I am sure the offender was acting in a largely irrational manner and impulsively,” Justice Henderson concluded.

In these unusual circumstances, he considered this an appropriate case to depart from UK guidelines cited to him, which set a sentencing range of five to nine years.

In his view the appropriate starting point was three years, with a deduction of one year for the guilty plea. Since the defendant is not Caymanian, the judge said he would leave the question of deportation to the Immigration Board. ..Source.. by Carol Winker

NY suspect accused of killing mom, raping girl beaten in jail

3-16-2013 New York:

Authorities say a man accused of killing a Syracuse woman and raping her 10-year-old daughter during a carjacking was beaten and suffered a broken nose on his first day in jail.

The Post-Standard, of Syracuse, reports that David Renz had a swollen face and tissues stuffed up both nostrils when he appeared in federal court Friday to face a probation violation charge.

His attorneys say Renz was assaulted by other inmates at the Onondaga County Justice Center, where he was taken following his arrest Thursday night.

Sheriff Kevin Walsh told the newspaper he was looking into why Renz was put into a holding area with other prisoners.

Renz faces charges that he abducted the mother and daughter as they left a gymnastics class in the Syracuse suburb of Clay.

Detroit community beats alleged rapist of 15 y.o. girl with Down Syndrome after slow police response

8-12-2013 Michigan:

Community members in one Detroit neighborhood took matters into their own hands and beat an accused rapist of a 15-year-old girl with Down Syndrome after they say Detroit Police failed to respond.

Friday marks the 23rd day without an arrest after the 15-year-old victim said a man grabbed her while she was walking to work, took her to his apartment and raped her in early July.

The suspect lives in the same neighborhood as the victim. Members of the Hubbard Farms community say the man has mental health issues. They posted his face on flyers around the neighborhood to warn others.

Family friend of the victim, Megan Herres says the teen waited for seven hours at the hospital for Detroit Police to administer a rape kit. She reportedly waited five days before police interviewed her about the sexual assault and 21 days until Detroit Police sent the rape kit to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab.

“That’s just not acceptable,” said Herres. “DPD, we want to see an effort toward sexual assaults of minors,” she continued “It’s not good to live in a community where people don’t feel safe."

Other community members were equally outraged at what they believed was a lack of response by Detroit Police and on Monday took matters into their own hands. The community beat the accused rapist with a baseball bat so badly he needed to go to the hospital.

Herres said vigilante justice is not the answer, but frustrations grew and boiled over. “There was a lot of community response in asking the police for their assistance in apprehending the perpetrator and it wasn’t happening in a timely manner,” said Herres.

Inmate assault brings year behind bars

8-25-2010 Virginia:

Assaulting a convicted child sex offender at the jail will cost inmate Denver J. Owens a year behind bars, a judge ruled Tuesday in Frederick County District Court.

No matter what happens in three other criminal cases against Owens, Judge W. Milnor Roberts ordered the 20-year-old Frederick man's yearlong punishment for attacking inmate Jonathan M. Bonita run consecutive to any other sentence Owens may get.

Owens faces burglary, assault and violation of probation charges at three hearings in September and October.

On Tuesday, Owens pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in the attack of Bonita on June 24 at the jail, but he declined to offer a statement before sentence was imposed.

Standing beside Assistant State's Attorney Michael J. Moore, Bonita, 19, said a few words, however. The Frederick man told Roberts he was tired of being harassed by other inmates.

Vicious, feared attack leaves Pa. inmate comatose

8-29-2010 Pennsylvania:

SCRANTON, Pa. – If his diary and witness accounts are to be believed, Nicholas Pinto endured months of physical, sexual and mental abuse in prison. Guards roughed him up, made him stand naked in a cold cell for hours at a time, and taunted him relentlessly. A fellow inmate raped him night after night, beat him when he resisted, and stole his possessions.

And no one, he claimed, did a thing about it.

"The overall treatment I have received from both the prison and (the prison's) medical providers (is) unconstitutional, insufficient, cruel, inhumane and shamefully unacceptable," Pinto wrote in April.

He feared for his life, yet the officials responsible for his safety appear to have ignored his pleas for help — nor did they heed a warning from the prison chaplain that Pinto was in grave danger.

An accused child pornographer, he was at the bottom of the prison hierarchy. So what came next was perhaps inevitable.

The 29-year-old former Connecticut man was heading back to his cell block from a recreation area when he was ambushed by an inmate with a history of violence who was supposed to be locked down — but wasn't. The inmate knocked him to the floor and stomped on his head at least 15 times "with all his might," according to a police report. Pinto's face was shattered, and he suffered brain injuries that left him comatose.

After the attack, his assailant had enough time to return to his cell and use a rag to wipe evidence from his black sneakers, police said.

Questions About Family's Slaying Likely Won't Be Answered

In Response to Readers Comments: To understand why this is classified as vigilantism you need to see our definition of vigilantism. Accordingly, here we have someone (Roberts) who has taken the lives of the family of a former sex offender (Stevens), and shot him as well. We do not know why Roberts did that, therefore we classify that as a "vigilante act." The fact that Roberts apparently was hiding from police (or that Roberts was married to one of Stevens Kin [reason for Roberts living with the Stevens family]) does not change the fact that we do not know why Roberts killed the Stevens family (the vigilante act). The only exception in our definition of "Vigilantism" is, if Roberts was the victim of Steven's original sex crime, and the article does not make that connection. (YES, this was a difficult case to classify, and forced us to review our definition as well)

5-2-2011 Ohio:

Four Shot, Killed In West Union Home

WEST UNION, Ohio -- Bocephus Stephens wishes Randle Roberts hadn't been killed in a gunfight with Columbus police Saturday morning.

If Roberts were alive, Stephens said, he might be able to find out why Roberts shot Stephens' father, wife, sister and daughter to death in their West Union home.

West Union police said that 33-year-old Kendra F. Stephens, 67-year-old George Stephens, 40-year-old Sonja Stephens and 11-year-old Harley Stephens were shot and killed sometime early Saturday.

Another daughter, 8-year-old Mariah Stephens, told police she awoke to find her family shot to death. She heard nothing as she slept because Roberts placed earplugs in her ears, investigators said.

After the slayings, investigators said Roberts stole a sport utility vehicle and a car before getting into a chase and gunfight with Columbus police that left him dead and three officers wounded.

Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak wouldn't say how many times Roberts was hit but said he was shot in the head, torso and extremities.

Stephens told News 5's Amy Wagner that Roberts was married to a relative of his and was staying with Stephens' family while he got back on his feet.

Tensions on rise as glass door, window smashed at Concord counseling center

8-5-2013 New Hampshire:

In an apparent act of vandalism, someone threw bricks through a glass door and a window at RTT Associates, the sex-offender counseling center that city officials are trying to evict from a mostly residential neighborhood.

The damage, discovered yesterday morning, comes amid growing tension over RTT’s presence in the office building at 2½ Beacon St., a few hundred feet off North State Street in Concord.

The firm has quietly operated there since 2005, providing counseling services to sex offenders, substance-abuse patients and others. But a man identified by prosecutors as an RTT client was arrested in May and accused of breaking into a nearby house and touching an 11-year-old girl. Neighbors have since expressed concern about the center and its clients.

In June, the city ordered RTT to leave the building, calling it “a hazard to the health safety and general welfare of the public.” RTT, which also has offices in Manchester and Rochester, appealed that order Friday.

Now, the situation appears to have escalated.

County to pay $4 million to settle jail-beating lawsuit

4-20-2009 California:

Illegal immigrant, accused of molestation, was left brain-damaged after inmates attacked him, his lawyer says.

County officials have agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a lawsuit brought by an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was beaten by inmates while in custody at the Orange County jail, the man's attorney said Monday.

The settlement appears to be the largest ever paid by Orange County for an in-custody incident involving county sheriffs, according to county officials and the man's lawyer.

Fernando Ramirez, then 21, was left brain-damaged by inmates in Module A at the Orange County Central Jail in June 2006. He was jailed after a 6-year-old girl told her mother a stranger touched her over her clothes on her private parts at El Salvador Park in Santa Ana. Ramirez was charged with child molestation but eventually pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of non-sexual battery, said his attorney, Mark Eisenberg.

Pedophile Suspect Lured, Beaten By Victims Family

Street justice has got to stop, we have police and laws to handle crimes, vigilantism is plain wrong and these folks need to be charged to set an example, at a minimum...

8-19-2009 California:

A 25-year-old man who allegedly solicited a 14-year-old girl for sex is under arrest after the girl's family got involved and took the law into their own hands, according to authorities.

The Sacramento Police Department says that Christopher Guzman went to Garcia Bend Park on Monday night, believing that he was meeting up with a 14-year-old girl he had met on a social networking website.

"This would've been the first physical contact between the suspect and the victim," said Sacramento Police Department Sgt. Norm Leong.

As Guzman waited in his car, police say five or six of the girl's family members walked up and began attacking him and his vehicle. Guzman tried to drive away, but the family members chased him, forced him out of his car and held him for police, who arrested Guzman but did not detain the relatives.

"[Guzman] was bloody from that," Sgt. Leong said. "We'll review it and see if what they did was reasonable given the circumstances in that they were trying to detain him."

Police said that Guzman was planning to videotape the young girl in a sex act. ..Source.. by David Begnaud See video

Sex offender beaten while picking persimmon

11-4-2009 Florida:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A sex offender's craving for persimmon was cut short by a punch to the ear from a neighbor who lived near the wild tree the convicted molester was perusing, deputies said.

The neighbor, Chad T. Bunfill, 38, was arrested Sunday on a charge of battery on a person 65 or older, a sheriff's report said. Bunfill got out of jail after posting $1,500 bail, court records show.

No one answered the phone at Bunfill's home this afternoon.

The man on the receiving end of Bunfill's clenched fist, ___, 68, recently had open heart surgery and walked in the mornings while it was cool, a sheriff's report said. ___ pleaded no contest to lewd and lascivious assault on a child younger than 16 in 1999, and after less than three years in prison is still on seven years probation, court records show.

The wild persimmon tree was on the edge of a vacant lot across from ___'s home and not on Bunfill's property, deputies said.

According to the report, ___ was out on his walk at 7:43 a.m. Sunday when he stopped in front of the vacant lot near Bunfill's property, across from his Mills Drive residence. ___ was checking for ripe persimmons to pick eat. That's when he heard Bunfill behind him shouting and cursing at him, calling him a baby rapist and sex offender, the report said.

___ said a yelling Bunfill approached and punched ___ on the left side of the face and ear. ___ tried to get away from Bunfill, but the neighbor followed ___ and threatened to kill him, the report said.

Bunfill told deputies that this girlfriend was taking his 8-year-old twin girls to school at the same time that ___ stopped to check out the orange-colored fruits, the report said.

Bunfill's girlfriend, Darlyn Warner, told deputies ___ had his back to them and did not see or speak to them when she left with the children. Warner said she called Bunfill to alert him that ___ was near their home, the report said.

Deputies asked Bunfill if he hit ___ and Bunfill looked down and swallowed so hard that a "gulping" sound was heard. He answered "no," the report said. ..Source.. by PATRICIO G. BALONA, STAFF WRITER

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Sex offender wanted a persimmon. He got punched

Ross Lane Johnson, 68, who lives just outside New Smyrna Beach is a convicted sex offender. He's also an early morning walker.

He was out walking recently and happened upon a persimmon tree on a vacant lot. He thought he'd pick some fruit when a neighbor started shouting at him. And, no, it wasn't about swiping fruit.

Chad T.Bunfill was cursing and calling him a baby rapist and sex offender, reports the Daytona Beach News Journal.

That's when Johnson said Bunfill punched him on the left side of the face and ear. Bunfill, 38, was arrested on a charge of battery on a person 65 or older. ..Source.. by Barbara Hijek

Prisoner bloodied, guards fired

11-5-2009 Michigan:

IONIA, Mich. (WOOD) - No one is disputing that Antonio Rios sustained facial injuries and two broken teeth while he was inside the Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility.

What is contested is who's at fault: Rios, five corrections officer who were fired over the incident, or the state of Michigan.

Carlene and Silvestre Rios are Antonio's parents. Their son, 23, described staff corruption at the prison in letter after letter.

On October 28, 2008, Rios was injured when five corrections officers -- the Emergency Response Team -- entered his cell because, officers said, he wouldn't return an item that could be used as a weapon.

His lunch tray.

"He don't got no front teeth," his mother, Carlene, said. "They beat the hell out my son. Is they crazy?"

She said she is "outraged. I'm mad. I don't care what anybody says. I am very upset about this."

The state of Michigan shared the sentiment and fired the officers all at once, a termination that is very rare. Of the 91 corrections workers the state fired this year, only eight involved excessive force.

"We don't tolerate it. I can tell you that," said Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman John Cordell. "We don't tolerate excessive force in out department."

Carlos Castillo was one of the five officers fired.

"Your adrenaline is pumping," he told 24 Hour News 8. "This is a maximum security prison and most of the calls where the response team is needed is in our administrative segregation unit which houses the worst prisoners that Michigan has to offer."

Two arrested in attack on accused child molester

11-10-2009 Florida:

Two Broward men were in jail Sunday after allegedly beating a third man with concrete blocks when a young boy said the man had fondled him.

The Fort Lauderdale man who police say was severely beaten by a furious father after allegedly fondling a 3-year-old boy had been arrested twice before -- but never convicted -- in sex crime cases, according to court records.

Luke Petruschke had to be placed in a medically induced coma Saturday after he was kicked, punched and bludgeoned with concrete blocks and rocks by Manuel Vega, 27, and another man, according to Davie police. The attack took place just after Vega's son revealed that Petruschke had fondled him the night before at the family's home in Davie, authorities said.

Officials at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood would not release Petruschke's medical condition Sunday afternoon.

Petruschke, 38, was acquitted in 1997 of two sex-related charges in Sarasota County and, four years later, prosecutors in Osceola County dropped a lewd and lascivious molestation charge against him, online court dockets show. Details of the two cases were unavailable Sunday.

Davie police spokesman Sgt. Greg Gasse said that if Petruschke recovers, he will face charges of lewd and lascivious molestation.

While Vega's anger was understandable, Gasse said, it was not his place to act as ``judge, jury and executioner'' immediately after the boy made the accusation.

Vega now faces more serious charges than Petruschke, and whatever the boy suffered will be compounded by having his father behind bars, Gasse said.

Vega's mother said her son is a good father who ``lost it.'' Vega met Petruschke about two months ago, and they would go fishing and play cards together, said Evelyn Vega, the 3-year-old's grandmother.

``I pray that [Petruschke] lives for my son's sake because if he dies, my son will be in jail for a long time,'' she said. ``We will not drop these charges. He will pay for what he did to my grandson.''

Manuel Vega and his friend, Krish Carter, 43, are being held at the Broward County Jail without bond, facing attempted murder charges. Vega has a criminal history that includes convictions for grand theft, burglary and cocaine possession.

Petruschke had spent Friday night at Vega's home in the 5100 block of Davie Road after having dinner with the family, police said. The next morning, as he prepared to leave, the boy told his parents that Petruschke had fondled him.

Davie police responding to a 911 call about the suspected molestation arrived to find a bloody Petruschke staggering out of a nearby wooded area with severe head injuries.

Vega claimed that Petruschke had wrecked his Chevy Cavalier, but an investigator quickly concluded the damage wasn't the result of a crash, police said. Car windows had been smashed and there were two bloody chunks of concrete inside.

A witness later told police he saw Vega and Carter breaking out the car's windows with the concrete, punching Petruschke inside the car and then pulling him out to continue beating and kicking him. Vega and Carter left Petruschke motionless on the ground and went into Carter's home to wash their hands, the witness told police.

When Vega was arrested, he told the officers, ``That is my son, man. What would you do?''

Evelyn Vega said her grandson seems to be doing fine emotionally, but has asked for his dad.

``Manuel has been in jail before and done his time, but he loves his son and he cares for his son dearly,'' she said. ``I'm pretty sure he's driving himself crazy because he can't see [his son], talk to him and give him a hug. I know Manuel is destroyed in there thinking about this.'' ..Source.. by JON BURSTEIN, Sun Sentinel

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2 Men Arrested in Attack On Suspected Molester

10-25-2009 Florida:

Father, Neighbor Arrested in Savage Attack in Davie

DAVIE, Fla. -- Two men have been arrested in Davie for allegedly attacking another man whom they believed had molested the son of one of the suspects.

The man who was beaten, Luke Petruschke, was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood where he was placed in intensive care.

Police said Petruschke was staying at a friend's home when that man's 3-year-old boy told his father Petruschke had fondled him.

Investigators said the homeowner, Manuel Vega and a neighbor, Krish Carter, attacked Petruschke with their fists and feet, and even beat him with concrete blocks and rocks.

Vega and Carter are charged with attempted murder.

Petruschke is being charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a child. ..Source.. by JustNews.com

Priest beaten, not bowed

11-12-2009 Florida:

TARPON SPRINGS - A visiting Greek Orthodox priest who was the victim of a tire iron attack in Tampa two days ago was back at work Wednesday, officiating over a funeral at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

The Rev. Alexios Marakis did not return telephone calls for comment about Monday night's incident, in which the attacker, a Marine reservist who works in a pharmacy in Palm Harbor, said he was acting in self defense. He accused the priest of being a robber, terrorist and molester.

The parish of St. Nicholas is rallying around Marakis, 29.

"The guy is like a saint," said Nicholas Manias, who serves as church council president. "He's a New Testament, turn-the-cheek kind of guy. The first thing he said when they went to see him in the emergency room? He asked if the other guy was OK.

"He's showing us what a good Christian does," Manias said.

Tampa police said that Marakis was in Tampa on Monday to bless a retiring priest in the West Shore part of town and accidentally got lost downtown. At the Seaport Channelside Apartments, he got out of his car, police said, and sought directions from Jasen D. Bruce.

Bruce grabbed a tire iron from the trunk of his car and struck Marakis, police said. He later told police that he couldn't understand Marakis and initially thought he was being robbed. He later told police he thought the robed priest was an Arab terrorist who was going to blow him up.

Police said that Bruce also accused the cleric of trying to molest him.

Bruce chased injured Marakis and pinned him to the ground three blocks away. It was Bruce, 28, who called 911. Police on Wednesday said the tape of that call would not be released for a day or two, if that soon.

Bruce was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and released after posting $7,500 bail. His attorney, Jeffrey Brown, said his client was only trying to protect himself.

Catherine Billiris, a 72-year-old member of St. Nicholas, said that church members are in full support of the priest and are angry about the allegations made by Bruce.

She said she doesn't buy the Marine reservist's story. "I just don't believe it," she said, "I'm sorry that's all I can say."

Marakis is recovering from bruises and cuts, Manias said.

In a letter to the parish sent out this morning, Manias said that, "We should not allow this terrible act to make us angry, hateful or vengeful because those come from the evil one. We will continue to pray for Father Alexios and his recovery. We should also pray for the man who did this to Father Alexios and the man's lawyer."

Marakis is upset about the incident, said Manias, who teaches ethics at St. Petersburg College, "because he doesn't want the ministry to be scandalized." ..Source.. by KEITH MORELLI and MARK DOUGLAS

No place for vigilante justice

1-25-2010 Florida:

VIGILANTE justice, in whatever form it takes, should never be condoned.

The actions of one – or several – people in the hinterland town of Beerwah over the past couple of days should be condemned by everyone living in the area.

The flyers distributed around the town, pinpointing the name and address of a man charged with a child sex offense, were rightfully quickly taken down by police.

However, no matter how fast they were removed, there will be some people who did not know the man’s name who now do and they know an address he sometimes frequents as well.

What must be remembered is that this man has not been proven guilty.

He is still to have his day in court, has yet to enter a plea and, as our laws dictate, is innocent until found otherwise.

Those who produced the flyers and were involved in their distribution are the ones who are guilty in this instance.

The angry Beerwah residents would do well to take notice of the words of Hetty Johnson, from the child sexual abuse victims organisation Bravehearts.

“By naming the person, they are actually doing him a favour,” she told the Daily.

“The man can argue that he wouldn’t be able to get a fair trial.

“It could ruin the whole investigation.”

Sensible and cool heads are needed in this case. ..Source.. by Sunshone Coast Daily.com

Sex offender assaulted, bullet shatters car

2-12-2010 Connecticut:

A 37-year-old registered sex offender was assaulted and robbed Thursday morning, six hours after a bullet shattered his back windshield while he was driving south on South Main Street, police said.

Officers have not yet determined if the two incidents are related or just coincidental because parked cars were also hit by gunfire in the area of South Main Street where the victim's back window was shot out, according to Sgt. Lisa Cotto, a spokeswoman for the Norwalk Police Department.

The victim contacted police shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday to report that the back window of his car had been shattered while he was driving near the intersection of South Main and Grove streets, police said.

He said he heard a bang, then noticed the broken car glass, but he did not see the perpetrator in the incident, according to police.

Officers conducted further investigation in the area where the victim's car was reportedly struck and found two bullet holes in a red Dodge Neon that was parked at 147 South Main St., police said. Evidence was recovered from the scene, and officers made contact with the Neon's owner, but she was sleeping when the incident occurred, police said.

Police said they also found a Ford Taurus that was parked in the area where the gunfire occurred had a bullet hole in it. Officers are still attempting to contact the owner of the Taurus.

The man whose back window was damaged by gunfire called police Thursday morning at 6:30 a.m. to report that he had been robbed by a group of approximately eight males, police said.

He told police he had parked his car near Colonial Village, a housing complex that is close to his home, and the males started punching and harassing him. He said the men called him a rapist, a sex offender and various expletives while they were assaulting him, according to police.

The victim said he believed one of the males had a gun, police said. The suspects took his wallet, which contained a small amount of money and personal items, police said.

He told police that he has noticed people following him to work for the past week or so. The victim, who was convicted of sexual assault in 2001, also said he heard a woman's voice in the background while he was being assaulted. He believes the female that he heard in the background may be the victim of the sexual assault, police said.

Police are investigating both incidents. ..Source.. STEVE KOBAK

Robbery suspect admits to assaulting sex offenders in Grover Beach

4-28-2010 California:

A man shot and wounded by a Grover Beach police officer last Friday morning may have been involved in a self-styled vigilante spree, targeting convicted sex offenders posted on the Megan’s Law website.

Police believe David Jordan Griffin, 24, who was arrested for allegedly robbing the Kautz Chevron station on Grand Avenue on Friday with a machete, may be linked to other crimes earlier in the week.

On Thursday, April 22, two separate incidents occurred within a half hour of each other in Grover Beach.

A young man, matching Griffin’s description, first attempted to confront the occupant of a residence on Longbranch Ave. He knocked on a door and asked for a man by name.

The occupant of the home, a registered sex offender, explained that the man he was asking for did not live at the residence. Griffin began to walk away while allegedly reading a printed list from the Megan’s Law website.

He quickly came back and began kicking the door, calling the victim explicit swear words and a sex offender.

While the door was damaged, the victim was not injured.

A half hour later, a second victim walked into a burglary in progress on N. 16th Street. Griffin hit the victim, who was using his right arm to block the blow, in the forearm with a hammer and also kicked and punched him.

Both victims in the case positively identified Griffin.

Grover Beach Police believe Griffin was selecting his victims by going down the list of sex offenders posted on the California Megan’s Law website.

“We don’t have a complete motive as to why, except for the obvious financial gain,” said Grover Beach Chief of Police Jim Copsey. “We are just happy he is in custody.”

Griffin was shot Friday morning by Grover Beach Police Lt. John Peters, a 15-year police veteran. Five shots were fired; one hit Griffin in the leg.

Following his arrest, Griffin allegedly made numerous statements that he hated sex offenders and admitted he had attempted to burglarized the two homes and had beat up the victim. Detectives later found stolen property in Griffin’s house.

Additional charges will be filed against Griffin including assault, trespassing, vandalism, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon. ..Source.. CalCoastNews.com

Paper's Error Caused Threats, Couple Says

5-20-2010 Oklahoma:

OKLAHOMA CITY (CN) - A couple says they were threatened and automatic weapons were fired near their house after a newspaper incorrectly listed their address as the home of a sex offender. The couple sued the Guthrie News Reader and its corporate parent in Oklahoma County Court.

Roy Nelson and Susan Ryan say they've heard automatic gunfire and people have driven by and shouted at them after the News Reader incorrectly listed a registered sex offender as living at their home.

The plaintiffs have lived on a rural dirt road 7 miles off the main highway for more than 10 years. They say traffic in front of their house was heavier than normal in the 36 hours after the erroneous story was published.

Ryan says she spoke with the newspaper's managing editor on June 15, 2009, the day after it printed the list. She said the newspaper admitted the mistake and she requested that it print "a conspicuous correction of their mistake and that it be made in the Sunday edition."

But the newspaper ran a "non-conspicuous correction in the obituaries section" of a Wednesday edition, and refused to print the correction in the Sunday paper, the plaintiffs say. And they say the paper left the incorrect report on its Web site.

They say the false report has caused them to fear for their safety.

"Because of the extreme emotional distress, anxiety, fear and physical sickness the wrongful accusation has caused both Roy Nelson and Susan Ryan, they continue to see a doctor and counselor to help them cope with the wrongful accusations that have poisoned their reputation in the community," the complaint states.

They seek damages for negligence and libel, from the News Reader and Newspaper Holdings Inc. They are represented by Thomas Ryan. ..Source.. by CourtHouseNews

2 Bellingham men charged for stabbing sex offender

6-28-2010 Washington:

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Two men have been charged in Bellingham for allegedly stabbing a convicted sex offender.

The Bellingham Herald reports that 28-year-old Henry K. Redlightning faces a second-degree assault charge in connection with the stabbing of 21-year-old Christopher Wade in his chest, back and lung on June 21.

Twenty-seven-year-old Zachariah Depoppe faces a complicity to assault charge for allegedly providing the knife used, throwing it in a river and driving Redlightning away.

Court documents say Redlightning was angry at Wade because Wade would not admit what his offense was.

Wade is expected to recover. ..Source.. by KREM.com

Man Beaten By Woman On Street

This man must closely resemble someone on the registry and well known in the area.

9-29-2010 California:

Accusations Of Being A Pedophile Spark Attack

OILDALE, Calif. -- A woman is in custody after, police said, she allegedly attacked a man and accused him of being a pedophile.

Nicole Antonucci resisted arrest and had to be stunned with a Taser and pepper sprayed by deputies, according to sheriff's officials.

Police said Buddy Graham was beaten and bruised during the assault that left his shirt torn and nerves rattled. Graham said he was falsely accused.

The incident happened Monday afternoon in the 200 block of North Chester Avenue. The victim said this was not the first time he has been assaulted on the streets.

Witnesses said Antonucci called Graham a pedophile and other witnesses said that Antonucci is a "nut case" who is on drugs.

Graham had contacted 23 ABC recently because he said he was attacked at Riverview Park weeks ago for the same type of accusation by a different woman.

"I was walking down the street and she came up to me and asked me for a lighter. Then she turned around and said, 'You S.O.B,' and started hitting me," said Graham.

Riverside man charged with harassing sex offender

10-7-2010 New York:

A Riverside man’s anger with a registered sex offender living and working at an area motel has landed him in Southampton Town Justice Court, where he faces second-degree harassment charges after he allegedly confronted the sex offender outside a local deli this summer.

The violation charge stems from a July 31 incident involving the two men—Kevin Zorn of Riverside and Ralph Blasi, a Level 3 sex offender now living and working at the Budget Host East End in Riverside—outside of Marta’s Deli near the hamlet’s traffic circle.

According to a complaint filed with the State Police by Mr. Blasi shortly after the incident, Mr. Zorn allegedly bumped his chest against Mr. Blasi, spit on him and cursed at him.

“I said ‘Drop the candy and let the little girls go,’” said Mr. Zorn, recalling the words he told Mr. Blasi outside the deli that day.

Mr. Zorn said this week that he worked with Mr. Blasi in the landscaping business for several months and, at the time, knew him as “Ralph Smith.” He said Mr. Blasi started working at the motel in the spring and, sometime after that, learned that Mr. Smith was actually Mr. Blasi, a Level 3 sex offender—a designation given to offenders with the highest likelihood of reoffending. Mr. Blasi was convicted of having sex with a 12-year-old girl in 2009 and served a year in prison, according to state records.

Paraplegic faces jail in violent citizen’s arrest

4-5-2011 Massachusetts:

Victim’ charged with child abuse

Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe is pressing ahead with a felony assault charge that could put a paraplegic grandfather in the slammer for up to 10 years for whacking his 3-year-old granddaughter’s alleged molester with a Louisville slugger after setting a trap for his arrest.

As a result of 57-year-old Martha’s Vineyard computer salesman Frank Hebert’s unconventional citizen’s arrest, Joshua A. Hardy, 27, of Middleboro, now faces child molestation charges in a second case out of Wareham involving another little girl, authorities tell the Herald.

“I’m not a hero, that’s for damn sure,” Hebert, his voice cracking, said last night. “I’d do it again tomorrow, knowing the consequence. I didn’t have a choice. A 10-year-old kid could take me. This is not about me. This is about a tiny child. I would never tell her I took a risk for her. I’d tell her I loved her.”

Hebert, left confined to a wheelchair with only partial use of his arms after a car crash in Falmouth a decade ago, was summonsed to Edgartown District Court on March 25 and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He said he was advised by a judge to get an attorney and is due back in court May 2 for a pretrial conference.

Court roundup: Man charged with stabbing cellmate

4-30-2011 Washington:

PASCO -- A convicted wife killer has been charged with stabbing his cellmate in Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, reportedly because the man is a sex offender.

John Robert Spicer, 49, is set for trial June 22 in Franklin County Superior Court on one count of second-degree assault. He has pleaded innocent.

The allegations stem from a Jan. 25, 2010, incident at the Connell prison, where Spicer and Sammy Stephens shared a cell in the new addition.

Spicer has been locked up since January 2002 for a second-degree murder conviction with a firearm enhancement out of Pend Oreille County, according to a Washington Department of Corrections spokeswoman. He shot his wife in April 2001 after reportedly waking up mad.

Stephens, 33, is at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen. He was readmitted to prison in October 2010 for failing to register as a sex offender in Clark County.

According to court documents, the two offenders were leaving their cell when Spicer grabbed Stephens from behind and stabbed him in the back of the neck with a knife-like weapon. Stephens broke free and ran down the stairs in their pod, with Spicer in pursuit, documents said.

That exchange was caught on video surveillance, with the two men going out of view as Spicer continued to follow while still allegedly holding the weapon in his right hand. Footage then shows him walk to a trash can and throw away the weapon, court documents said.

Sex Offenders Say They Are Harassed, Others Not Sympathetic

5-25-2011 Arkansas:

A registered sex offender says he's being harassed at his home, because people know his past.

"They chipped off the paint, there's two dents right there," said Heather, showing KARK the marks in her home.

Preferring to be referred to only as Heather, Saturday she says someone shot up her home off Crystal Hill Road with a BB gun

"This is a last Hail Mary effort, I hope it doesn't keep happening. It scares me and it scares my neighbors and friends," she said.

Heather says this, and other harassment, has happened before: all because her roommate is a registered sex offender.

"I think they are targeting sex offenders, every time the notification fly-er goes out, they target whichever trailer they think is where the person lives," she said.

In this area, there are more than a half a dozen sex-offenders. Each time one moves in, local law enforcement has to let the neighborhood know.

"It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen," said Lt. Minden.

Lt. Carl Minden with the Pulaski County Sheriff's office says retaliation isn't what the registry is intended for and in fact, is potentially criminal.

"Obviously they did commit a crime, as a sex offender, but they still have rights as a citizen and you have to respect their rights or you'll be breaking the law and you won't be any better than them," he said.

That's why they're investigating what happened at Heather's home.

Still, she's worried someone is taking the law into their own hands.

"That's what worries me is that someone is going to come out here with more than a BB gun and mischief on their mind," she said.

But nearby neighbor Marley Benefield sees things differently. With three young daughters, she wouldn't retaliate, but she's not exactly sympathetic.

"They weren't being very sympathetic when they did what they did," she said.

Heather didn't want us to give out exact information about her, her home or roommate, fearing more retaliation.

The notification fly-ers actually have a warning on them against taking revenge.

If you are having a problem with a registered sex offender in your area, law enforcement says call them instead. ..Source.. by Lauren Trager, KARK 4 News