Just find me a place to die

11-1-2005 Iowa:
Fear, desperation set in for some registered sex offenders who must move

John Chapman has rickety bones, an oxygen tank and a shameful past that's worn him down more than bad health ever could.

What he did with two 13-year-old girls nearly a decade ago put him in prison for nearly five years and on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.

But Chapman, 73, wouldn't be in the fix he's is now — three days from being a homeless man on crutches — had he not switched apartments in June 2004. He had lived at the Elliott Apartments in downtown Des Moines before a state law went into effect that prohibits certain sex offenders from living near schools or child-care centers.

Chapman would have been exempt from the eviction proceedings that face roughly 300 others in the city, but he accepted his landlord's offer to switch apartments and have more room to park the electric scooter that helps him get around. He moved his belongings from Apartment 311 to Apartment 312. The front doors are 2 feet apart.
The units share a kitchen wall.

The move took less than an hour. But it was a move nonetheless, according to the law, and now Chapman must go.

"Please just find me a place to die," he said. "I'd just as soon take a beating than go through this."

Stories like Chapman's have become routine for Iowa authorities as they try to enforce the first round of eviction notices for registered sex offenders whose victims were minors.

NJ- Police: ‘Sex offender’ flier possibly a prank

10-13-2005 New Jersey:

SOUTH RIVER — Police are looking for the party responsible for distributing unfounded information about a sex offender living in the borough.

Many residents on and around a section of Main Street last week were surprised to discover a letter in their mailboxes warning them of an alleged sex offender, even providing a name, address and color photo of a South River resident.

The person behind the document remains unknown, but there was no mystery in the message, accusing the resident of supposed sexual improprieties.

The letter, which reads in part, “I am an accused child molester; let’s keep this scum out of South River,” has been found to contain no validity, according to South River Detective John McKenna, who is investigating the case.

“The letter seems to be something done in very poor taste,” McKenna said. “It’s kind of bizarre. At this juncture, there doesn’t seem to be any validity to it.”

McKenna said the accused has no known criminal record.

Still, he noted, the letter has alarmed area residents, including children, who have approached the officer, also a DARE teacher in the South River school system.

“At this point, I’ve come up with nothing other than this person exists,” he added. “But other than that, that’s where it ends.”

Police could neither confirm nor deny they knew the identity of the party who created the letter.

“There’s not enough information to comment on the potential parties responsible,” McKenna said. “It’s still under investigation.”

A search on the New Jersey State Police Web site for the name of the individual accused turned up negative, listing only one person registered as a sex offender in South River.

Yesterday morning, a woman identifying herself as the mother of the person accused in the letter left a voicemail with Greater Media Newspapers, saying there is no validity to the accusations, and that her son does not even live at the listed address.

“There is nothing,” she said. “This is just somebody that is just in for revenge. But there’s not too much you can do about it.”

She might be right, as McKenna said the only laws that appear to have been broken are a local ordinance forbidding the posting of bills, and the harassment of the accused.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office has been informed of the situation, he said, and defamation of character charges could be filed against those who issued the letter.

“If [the accused] elected, it’s something he could possibly capitalize on,” McKenna said. “It’s really up to him, not us.”

The detective said the moral impact brought about through the letter is far greater than any legal ramifications.

“I’m not certain if it was a prank or someone being mean to someone,” McKenna said. “Hopefully, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

The event comes during a time when many towns throughout New Jersey, some in Middlesex County, are adopting ordinances forbidding registered sex offenders from living near places such as schools, bus stops and parks. South River has not introduced such an ordinance. ..News Source.. by JOHN DUNPHY, Staff Writer

AR- BCSO arrests man for identity theft

12-31-2005 Arkansas:

BENTON COUNTY - A routine traffic stop resulted in the arrest of a Siloam Springs man who allegedly stole more than $20,000 through credit-card and tax fraud, according to a news release from the Benton County Sheriff's Office.

Charles Robbins, an investigator with the BCSO Drug Interdiction Team, stopped Matthew Buescher, 35, on Wednesday. Buescher was initially arrested for driving on a suspended license.

When an inventory of the vehicle was done, Robbins discovered a backpack in the back seat. The backpack contained several file folders and credit cards with different names. The file folders contained personal identification information obtained over the Internet via University of Arkansas computers. The identification information was of people from Indiana who had either been convicted or accused of sexualrelated crimes. Another file contained credit-report information on several people.

After Buescher was taken to the Sheriff's Office, he told Criminal Investigation Division investigator Jeremy Felton he had obtained the personal information to apply for and receive bank accounts, including credit cards.

It was discovered in another file folder found in the backpack that Buescher had filed several false tax returns with the state of Iowa for the purpose of defrauding the government out of thousands of dollars in tax refunds. Those refund checks would be sent to vacant houses and picked up at a later time, or the funds would be deposited electronically into false bank accounts.

In all, Buescher indicated he stole around $20,000. Buescher also said most of the money was used for gambling in Oklahoma.

Buescher is being held in the Benton County Jail awaiting a bond hearing for the charge of financial identity fraud, a class C felony. The crime is punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years and a $10,000 fine. ..more.. by Jennifer Turner Staff Writer jennifert@nwanews.

Sex offender stabbed at Cook County Jail

8-3-2005 Illinois:

A Cook County Jail inmate was recovering Tuesday from a stabbing in a maximum-security wing of the Southwest Side complex.

Demtre Golden, 28, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for a wound to the chest. At least three other inmates are suspected in the attack, said Bill Cunningham, a spokesman for Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan, who runs the jail.

Golden was booked into the jail in June on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender. The motive for the attack is unclear, Cunningham said, but investigators are looking into whether it was related to his history as a sex offender or whether it was gang-related. ..more.. by

Police hope YouTube can nab suspect

3-23-2007 Ohio:

HAMILTON - Police are using the Internet to try to capture a Mexican national accused of rape in a case that sparked a controversy over illegal immigration.

Alfredo Lopez-Cruz, 27, has been at large since he allegedly snatched a 9-year-old girl off the street June 19, 2005, and sexually assaulted her inside his rented home on Sycamore Street, said Hamilton Police Detective Mark Hayes.

The rape was followed by days of unrest, including the appearance of robed and hooded Ku Klux Klansmen and the torching of the house where Cruz lived.

The rape also ignited a fierce debate that continues over illegal immigrants and what role the Butler County sheriff and other county agencies should play in dealing with them.

Now, nearly two years later, Hamilton police still do not know where Cruz is.

To reignite interest in the case, police plan to create and post a video about it on the popular Web site YouTube.

"This is the first case where we are going to be doing something like this," Hayes said. "We saw something on TV that law enforcement agencies were putting surveillance videos of robberies and stuff like that on YouTube, so we thought we might try something like that with this guy."

Hayes said Cruz is not in the area. "He could be anywhere, so we wanted to get a wider audience," he said. "Hopefully, somebody will view it and know him and know where he's at and we can arrest him."

Man Falsely Branded As Sex Offender

4-22-2005 Florida:

Dispute Started When Man Reported Neighbor For Peering Into His Windows

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A local man says he's been wrongly branded a sex offender in his own neighborhood.

Someone's posting sex offender fliers outside his house, but he's not the man on the flier and he's not a sex offender, WESH 2 News reported.

“It's been difficult, believe me,” said James F. Turner.

Pat and James Turner have been through a lot. Eight years ago, they survived a near fatal car accident. Four years ago, James Turner, a former Marine, had a golf ball-sized aneurysm burst in his brain.

“And none of that is as devastating as this is,” said his wife, Pat.

A flier started circulating in their neighborhood this month. Someone wrote that a registered sex offender from Maitland might now be living at the Turners' west Orlando address. Response was immediate.

“My grandkids were outside and they come in the house crying because no one wants to play with them. The neighbors give me dirty looks,” James Turner said.

Who would do this? Neighbor Marlene Morton admits she did. It started when the Turners reported Morton to authorities for peeking in their windows. Soon after, Morton says James Turner's "strange behavior" led her to check the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's sex offender database.

Is prison justice on rise?

10-24-2005 Pennsylvania:

Calling this justice is an affront to our system of justice!
They are the "baby rapers," the "tree jumpers," "Chester the Molester."

Sex offenders - especially those who prey on children - occupy one of the lowest rungs of the prison hierarchy, just above snitches.

They are considered scum of the Earth, insiders say. When the other prisoners find out what they're in for, child molesters might as well have a bright red bull's-eye painted on their backs.

In recent weeks, two convicted sex offenders have complained in Bucks County Court that they were being harassed and beaten by other inmates.

Man Slashed Across Neck, Now Arrested for Rape

2-1-2005 Alabama:

A man stabbed in an attack is facing rape charges.

20-year-old Donald Christopher Hart turned himself in on a warrant this past Friday. Hart is accused of having sex with a girl under the age of 17.

The alleged incident happened in early November near Old Red Mill in the Martling community of Marshall County.

Hart nearly died from stab wounds that morning after police say he was attacked. The man accused in Hart's attempted murder case committed suicide. ..more.. by WAFF

Authorities angry over flyer about sex offender

11-4-2005 Minnesota:
.Four days ago, a simple flyer sent Crystal residents Sheridon Pedler and her mother-in-law, Ginger Klicker, into an emotional tailspin. "I said we can not allow a sex offender to live in this neighborhood." The single piece of paper was a state-required sex offender notification flyer, telling a Crystal neighborhood that a man by the name of Ricky John Lindstrom was moving in. Lindstrom is a level three sex offender who served 10 years for fondling a 10-year old Hopkins girl at knifepoint. He also served time for raping a woman in 1986. Pedler and her neighbors decided they weren't just going to stand by and let Lindstrom move in. So they banded together and planned on giving the Crystal police an earful at the scheduled sex offender notification meeting. But that meeting never happened.

It was canceled after someone took matters into his or her own hands, circulating a second flyer. That paper impersonated the woman who was going to rent her house to Lindstrom. It gave her name, address and phone number and proclaimed, "I am moving my own little monster into my home and I don't care what any of you think." It also warned, "Don't go to sleep, ever. That is when he prowls your homes, looking for his next victim." The flyer worked, and Lindstrom backed out. But law enforcement officials aren't amused. They, and even some victim's advocates, call the flyer "vigilante justice" and say it disrupts the whole process. Russ Stricker oversees Lindstrom's probation. He understands the neighborhood's outrage, but calls the letter "vigilante justice" and fears it will ultimately lead to the repeal the very law that's there to protect neighborhoods. "If we can't tell neighborhoods, then offenders can move anywhere and people will never know about it and I think that's more damaging than letting us know."

And while he says he doesn't expect any sympathy for Lindstrom, Stricker says, the fact is, at some point, society has to let go of its grudge. "Someday he is going to be off supervision, and the goal is to change him and reduce his risk to the public and that's hard to do if he is not given an opportunity." Still, those living in that Crystal neighborhood will continue to ask, how far is too far when it comes to the ones you love? One neighbor simply asks, "What would you do if he moved in next to you?" Crystal police are actively investigating this case, they say whoever created that false flyer could face criminal charges. ..more.. : by Amy Hockert, KARE 11 News

Sex offender evicted from Hoosick home

4-1-2005 Vermont:
. A man convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl plans to move from his Hoosac Meadows apartment today after receiving an eviction notice Tuesday from his landlord in the wake of his criminal past being publicized this week.

Gary Ronald St. John Jr., 34, said Wednesday that he expected a public outcry at his presence when he first moved in with his girlfriend at the low-income apartment complex at the end of January - but was surprised it took so long for the information to get out. [snip]

St. John said he underwent five months of a six-month sex offender program during his incarceration. "Basically it's reliving the whole offense," he said, and now he can "guarantee that this (rape) would not happen again." Community members have expressed their unhappiness about St. John's criminal history, which many learned of on Monday and Tuesday. St. John said he has had eggs thrown at his and his family members' cars and that he has been the target of sidewalk chalkings and verbal comments. He said his girlfriend's teenage daughter came home in tears Wednesday after a difficult day at school. [snip]

St. John said he plans to move out of Hoosick Falls, but right now he said he can only guarantee that he'll move to wherever he can get the cheapest rent. He does plan to seek counsel from a legal aid organization as to why he was being told to leave his apartment after only three months, and provided with just two days' notice. : by JESSICA YORK, Staff Writer ..more..

Man Falsely Accused Of Being Sex Offender Leaves Job

6-9-2005 California:

Convicted Sex Offender Uses Alias Similar To Therapist

.HEMET, Calif. -- A massage therapist is giving up his job -- work he said he loves enough to do for free -- after the fallout from a case of mistaken identity. An employee at a restaurant next to the Hemet business publicly accused William "Billy" Smith of being someone else -- a convicted sex offender who appears on the Megan's Law Web site. The site is designed to protect residents from sex offenders.

The man on the Web site is named William Jerome Duncan, but he used the name William Smith as an alias. Duncan's crimes involve rape, incest and lewd acts with children. His last address was listed as east of Palm Springs, but his whereabouts are unknown. Police received the erroneous tip that Duncan was working at Health Rhythms Spa. They found William "Billy" Smith, a former pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system who spent thousands of dollars to develop his career as a sports massage therapist after his 5-year-old daughter died of heart disease.

On Tuesday, William "Billy" Smith packed awards, certificates of merit and other items in his office. He said he cannot continue to work after the false accusation. "I can't look at people the same because I think that they're looking at me funny," he said. "I think that they're thinking that I'm not only a predator, but a child predator." : by NBC4.TV ..more..

False assumptions lead to arrest in Neoga

8-23-2005 Illinois:
.NEOGA -- Some "mistaken" assumptions about his neighbor may have landed a Neoga man in jail for alleged assault and damage to the neighbor's property, according to police officials. At approximately 10 p.m. Sunday, Neoga officers were called to the 700 block of Cedar Avenue, where they arrested a man for allegedly attacking his neighbor's windows with a shovel handle, said Chief of Police Gerry Mattern.

The man, whose name has not been released pending formal charges, believed his neighbor was a convicted sex offender who had verbally threatened the man's daughter. "He was under the mistaken impression it was the guy next door," said Mattern. The neighbor had responded to the destruction of his windows by brandishing a three-inch pocket knife, Mattern said.

The incident began when the suspect's daughter returned home and said "there were some people in the residence next door who were drinking, and they made some comments to her," said the police chief. "She got scared." Mattern reported that the intoxicated people were merely visiting the neighbor's home, and did not live there. However, the girl's father thought the neighbor himself made the comments. "He started beating the windows out of the place," said Mattern.

The man with the shovel handle was taken to the Cumberland County Jail in Toledo. He faces possible charges of aggravated assault and criminal damage to property, said Mattern. The neighbor with the knife was not arrested, said the chief. ..more.. : by NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer

Deltona's sex-offender strategy: Drop by often

9-2-2005 Florida:

.DELTONA -- He doesn't know when, but he knows the knock is coming. Each week, on a different day and at a different time, Jeff Tillotson will hear a thump on his door from Deputy Holly Colon. She wants to know that he's where he's supposed to be and whether he's having any problems. Because he is a registered sex offender, Tillotson will hear a deputy's knock each week for as long as he lives in Deltona -- even after his probation is over.

Nowhere else in Central Florida are sex offenders checked so frequently. While cities across the state are putting more restrictions on where sex offenders live in the aftermath of the deaths of two young girls, authorities are taking a more active approach in Volusia County's largest city.

The Sheriff's Office now makes weekly checks on each of the city's 105 registered offenders and predators and about 45 others in the unincorporated areas surrounding the city. ..more.. : by Kristen Reed | Sentinel Staff Writer

Sex predator law makes politicians hide, attack

4-3-2005 Wisconsin:

.An angry mob of citizens gathered at State Fair Park last week to publicly proclaim, lest anyone think otherwise, that they definitely did not like sexual predators and did not want them housed in their communities.

Many had high praise for grandstanding local politicians who openly pandered to the mob by declaring their equally vociferous opposition to housing sexual predators anywhere. Much of the crowd's vitriol was directed at a state committee created by an act of the Legislature to recommend at least three possible sites for a transitional facility for so-called sexual predators returning to the community. [snip]

There's more to political leadership than getting out in front of an angry mob armed with torches and pitch forks and egging them on. Political leadership includes educating the inflamed and the uninformed about the need for responsible action. One of the unintentionally saddest comments at the public hearing came from a mother who had clearly terrified her own child.

Protest sign must go

3-9-2005 Oregon:
.A local man's protest sign against some residents of the Winston House, a home for mentally disabled adults, will have to be removed within 10 days, the city has declared. Steve Perry, who lives next door to the home at 91 N.E. Ronald St., put up a sign on his front lawn with the words "Sex Offenders" with a slash over the words to protest the home where he believes two sex offenders live.

The Oregon State Police could not confirm the presence of registered sex offenders living at that address, but the city has verified that two group home members are sex offenders. However, the sign violates a city ordinance that allows only business, sale and advertisement signs in residential zones, said Winston City Administrator David Van Dermark. If he does not take the sign down, Perry will have to pay a $1,500 fee for violating the ordinance. : by JULIANA RENNO ..more..

Neighbors split on sex-offender clamor

5-14-2005 Florida:

A Davie couple have spent the past year warning neighbors of a sex offender in their midst. But some neighbors say they should back off.

.When Rick and Nancy Colgan learned a sex offender had moved onto their block in a quiet Davie subdivision last year, the couple with two sons sprang into action, posting fliers and alerting families. Two other families in the Crossbow subdivision posted fliers and erected fences, installing elaborate security systems with video cameras trained on the offender's home. But other neighbors, while concerned over safety, were also worried that zealous awareness campaigns could harm their sense of community and home values.

The case of Davie's Crossbow neighborhood raises a variety of questions: How and when should residents be alerted to a sexual offender? How much notification is too much? And what about an offender's right to reenter society and live where he wants to live? The neighborhood's conflicts come at a time when a number of cities, in South Florida and nationally, are considering laws limiting where sex offenders can live. Just last week, Davie tentatively approved a law prohibiting offenders from living within 2,500 feet of places where children congregate, such as schools. [snip]

When the Colgans' posters appeared, stapled to tree trunks and road signs, ''it didn't look good for the neighborhood,'' said Jim Kawas. A resident since 1988, Kawas lives down the street from the Mustaphas and Colgans. Kawas said he isn't thrilled about his new neighbor, but said the Colgans' leaflet campaign could scare off home buyers. Rick Colgan, a postal carrier, said he just wanted to make sure everyone knew Mustapha's face. ''You don't want people like that just blending in,'' he said.

Residents attempt to oust sex offenders from home

4-12-2005 Florida:

Police do nothing knowing full well what neighbors are doing is against the law including the registry law!
.Neighbors, some incognito in hats and sunglasses, protested in front of a home Monday in an attempt to pressure the landlord to evict two convicted sex offenders who have been living there since February. About two dozen people carried signs with messages such as "Sexual Predators and Kids Don't Mix" in front of a home on Howell Branch Road. Neighboring homes displayed yard signs with arrows pointing to where the registered sex offenders live. [snip]

Before the protest, suggested strategies included encouraging neighbors to call the landlord at home at all hours, pressuring the city's code-enforcement officers to cite the home for violations and even trying to buy the house. After one late-night call to the landlord, at least one area resident was warned by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office that it could be considered harassment. [snip]

The two men were home Monday afternoon, waiting out the protest in front of the single-story home. Debris that neighbors said was left from last year's hurricanes littered the overgrown yard. "We have been harassed all day today," Baxley said from the motorized wheelchair he uses to get around. Baxley said he suffers from multiple sclerosis, and Smith has Parkinson's disease. [snip]

But as long as the men follow the terms of their parole, "there's no action we can take," Farrell said. "Every time we notify people, we have the same thing happen," Farrell said of the neighbors' outrage. In other cases, neighbors have bought the house. ..more.. by Christopher Sherman

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Winter Park neighbors glad sex offenders moved

5-28-2005 Florida:

.WINTER PARK -- After enduring months of loud honks, shouted expletives and picketers on their front sidewalk, two convicted sex offenders moved out of their rental home. The yard signs with arrows that pointed to where the two men lived were gone Friday, and neighbors breathed a sigh of relief that their children are no longer "under lock down."

"Everyone's thrilled," said Barry Render, a Rollins College professor. "We were victorious, but it doesn't feel like a victory. It was just an aggravating three months." Neighbors were alerted by police shortly after the two men, both convicted sex offenders, moved into the small home on Howell Branch Road in February.

Almost immediately, they began a campaign to drive the men out and at one point grew so desperate that they even protested at the Longwood home of the two men's landlord. The landlord, Noemi Ruiz, sold the house, and the two men, who remain on probation, moved to an assisted-living facility in Orlando, said Robby Cunningham, spokesman for the Department of Corrections.

Burnice Baxley, 64, and Michael Smith, 62, told reporters last month that they remained holed up in the house, unable to leave except for the grocery store and medical appointments because of the protests. They could not be reached for comment Friday. Neighbors, though, said they feared for the safety of students who walk past the home on their way to Dommerich Elementary and Maitland Middle schools.

Baxley, who uses a wheelchair, told the Sentinel that he suffers from multiple sclerosis and that Smith has Parkinson's disease. "I think in their younger days they were very, very dangerous because of the offenses they committed," Winter Park police Lt. Wayne Farrell said. "I think with age and health problems, the threat probably decreased." Farrell said officers on patrol rarely saw the men leave the house. ..more.. by Beth Kassab

Parents picket against sex offender

4-1-2005 California:

Police do nothing knowing full well what the community is doing is against the law including the registry law!
.Angry moms and dads turned up the heat Wednesday on a sex offender, who recently moved into their neighborhood, in an effort to force him to move somewhere else. A group of about 50 parents, many of them with children in tow, spent much of the day picketing near the corner of Mapleton Street and Iris Lane, just yards from the home of Edison Martinez Mercado, 42.

The man was convicted in the late 1990s of several counts of child molestation, according to the state attorney general's Megan's Law Web site and officials with the state parole office. "I'll be out here as long as I have to be until he's out of here," said Andi Rapagnani, 27, who has an 11-year-old son and lives directly behind Mercado.

The signs the parents carried drew honks of support from passersby: "Honk if you hate child molesters," "Child molesters not welcome," "Convicted child molester Edison M. Mercado lives near you," and "Mapleton has a new elementary school, a park, walking trails, bus stops, lots of kids and a child molester." Officials with the state parole office in Escondido said Wednesday that Mercado served three years in state prison, starting in 1999. And in January, he completed three years on parole. [snip]

Family Harassed After Mistake On Sex Offender Registry

11-4-2005 Indiana:

(LOUISVILLE) -- A mistake on the Indiana Sex Offenders Registry caused problems for a New Albany family, including harassing phone calls at home and their kids being shunned at school. All for something they didn't do. WAVE 3's Jeff Tang investigates and gets results. Richard Cornell loves his neighborhood, the folks next door, and his home. "I've lived her for a little over five years," he said. But right now, he absolutely hates his address. "It's coming to the point where I'm about to blow," Cornell said.

The problems started not long after Cornell checked Indiana's Sex Offender Registry website a few months ago and found his address listed as the residence of a convicted sex offender. Anyone checking the online registry would be led to believe a convicted felon named Joseph Epperson lives at Richard's home. Cornell wasn't the only person who spotted Epperson's name linked to his address. "We're getting harassing phone calls," he said. "Our children are getting upset, and asking 'what's a sex offender? Why can't so and so come over and play," Cornell said.

A photo of Epperson doesn't appear on the website, so Cornell has found himself needing to clear a few things up with suspicious neighbors. The main point he needs to convey: "I am not Joseph Epperson and I am not a sex offender, thank you." The Cornells bought the home from Epperson's ex-wife years ago. The state's website shows Epperson hasn't registered since 1996. "They don't know where he is," Cornell says of Epperson. "He could be off doing God knows what." Meanwhile, the family has continued trying to straighten out the mess.

"We made numerous calls to the Sheriff's Department. No one seems to want to do anything about it," Cornell said. WAVE 3 put the family in touch with Mike Eslinger, the executive director of the Indiana Sheriff's Association, the organization that posted the website. He promised to take care of the mistake by removing Cornell's address from the registry until the Floyd County Sheriff's department can locate Epperson. By next week, the Cornells won't have a problem telling people where they live. "Unless someone pressed them to do it, I don't think it would have gotten done if you hadn't of stepped in it wouldn't have gotten this far," Cheryl Cornell said.

The Sheriff's Association says it's in the process of updating the registry to help minimize mistakes like this one. A revamped, updated site was planned to be up and running by January 2006. ..more.. : by Jeff Tang

Woman Ticketed For Sitting On Park Bench Without Kids

9-29-2005 New York:
.NEW YORK -- It's an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children.

The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child. Sandra Catena, 47, said she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start.

Two police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail. The city parks department said the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule. ..more.. : by Associated Press