CA- Sex Offender Protests Called Troubling Trend

8-30-2000 California:

Did Monrovia police go too far by distributing fliers that warned of a registered sex offender moving into a neighborhood, inciting panic and daily protests?

That was a lingering question as residents along West Olive Avenue declared victory Tuesday, convinced that their pickets and catcalls had forced Aramis Dominguez Linares, a twice-convicted child molester from Nevada, to move from his sister’s Monrovia home.

Supporters and critics agree that Monrovia police acted in accordance with California’s so-called Megan’s Law. The 4-year-old law allows agencies to inform the public when high-risk sex offenders move into town.

But Monrovia’s effort may do little good in the long run: Relatives booted Linares from the family home and authorities temporarily lost track of him, a common consequence of high-profile protests, said experts.

“We’re just trying to protect our kids,” said Monrovia Police Capt. Terry Dochnahl. The department passed out fliers to Neighborhood Watch leaders earlier this month showing Linares’ picture, his home address and the license plate number of the car registered to his family.

Linares, 49, had notified police that he was moving into his sister’s home after completion of his prison sentence on Aug. 10.

Idaho publisher harassed after newspaper prints sex offenders' names.

10-25-2000 Idaho:

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) _ Three weeks ago, someone slipped into the home of Times-News publisher Stephen Hartgen with a gun and an unspoken warning about the newspaper's decision to print the names of sex offenders.

Hartgen wasn't home, but his wife saw the gunman and fled with the couple's daughter to a neighbor's home to call police.

Left behind was an envelope containing a clipping from The Times-News listing registered sex offenders living in the newspaper's eight-county circulation area. Also inside was a copy of a 1998 editorial explaining the paper's decision to become the first in Idaho to publish offenders' names, addresses and photographs.

Investigators are trying to track down the intruder.

Hartgen has refused to discuss the incident, and the staff of the 23,000-circulation paper has been told not to speak to reporters about it.

The list of sex offenders, with photos and addresses, remains on the newspaper's Web site, magicvalley.com.

Convicted sex offender beaten by neighbors

4-12-2000 Florida:

.NORTH FORT MYERS -- A convicted sexual molester is nursing minor injuries after being beaten by a couple of neighbors who feared he would molest neighborhood kids. Gene Crawford, 59, convicted nine years ago of lewd and lascivious assault on a 15-year-old girl living in his house, lost a tooth and suffered a gash to his mouth in Monday's beating with a baseball bat.

Douglas Jacques, 30, and Donald Meredith, 44, later were arrested on charges of aggravated battery, according to Lee County sheriff's reports. Both men have prior battery convictions, court records show. Jacques and Meredith told investigators they went to Crawford's trailer and ordered him to leave town. When Crawford refused, Jacques walked into the trailer, grabbed a baseball bat and told Crawford if he didn't leave he was a ''dead man.''

One of the men then set fire to a small pile of trash near Crawford's trailer. Crawford said he messed up in 1991, but now follows the law. ''I just want to be left alone,'' said Crawford, who served 15 years probation in the 1991 conviction. ..more.. : by Associated Press