CA- San Domenico parents swarm sex offender at courthouse

2-9-2009 California:

A convicted sex offender arrested after a dustup at a San Anselmo school appeared in court Monday as a posse of about 50 agitated parents swarmed him at the courthouse.

David James McCampbell, 54, hobbling into court on a walker, attended a brief hearing to set future dates as the investigation continues. When he left the courtroom he was surrounded by parents, many snapping photos with their cell phones and warning him to stay away from their children.

"We appreciate that people are concerned, and nobody wants our children harmed," said his lawyer, Chief Deputy Public Defender Debra Leyva. "But we have to balance that with due process of law, no matter what the crime is. The system has to be fair for everyone."

McCampbell was arrested last Tuesday after an incident at San Domenico School, a private K-12 school on Butterfield Road in Sleepy Hollow, where a man was seen watching girls ride horses in the school's equestrian arena, according to the Sheriff's Office.

By some accounts the man stayed on campus some 45 minutes, even after he was asked to leave. He eventually drove off in a blue Honda Civic, which police stopped on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Fairfax.

The driver was identified as McCampbell, a Santa Clara resident who was convicted of child porn charges in his home county. McCampbell first told police that he was lost, then said he was driving around the area, said Fairfax police Sgt. Chris Morin.

Prosecutors charged McCampbell with a misdemeanor count of being a sex offender on school grounds and disrupting activities. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail.

McCampbell, through his lawyer, declined to grant an interview Monday. He is using a walker because of a hip replacement, Leyva said.

McCampbell returns for further hearings on March 6. He is not posted in the state Megan's Law database because the child porn for which he was convicted does not qualify him for listing, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Kathryn Mitchell. ..Source.. by Gary Klien

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.

PA- Child rapist Feigley returns to Harrisburg home

8-18-2008 Pennsylvania:

Convicted child rapist George Feigley was greeted by protesters in front of his Harrisburg home when he arrived there shortly after 6:30 p.m. Friday, about nine hours after he was released from the state Correctional Institution at Laurel Highlands in Somerset County. He was set free at 9 a.m.

Protesters pointed Feigley out when he was seen in the front passenger seat of a gold Saturn station wagon as it passed his Derry Street home. Many of the protesters, mostly children, followed the car as it turned onto South 13th Street and then turned right onto Thompson Street, a small street behind Feigley's home.

Feigley and his female driver were able to drive up their driveway after two Harrisburg police officers helped to clear a path between the protesters.

Police know this protest violates the registry law and they do nothing.
Earlier in the day, about a dozen people -- and several news crews -- were staked out at 13th and Derry streets, to see when Feigley would return to his home in the neighborhood.

Feigley, 68, is a convicted sex offender who ran a school that authorities called a sex cult, which he started in the early 1970s in his Derry Street home. It's the same house to which he plans to move after his release from prison.

Feigley, who raped three girls, not only is free, but he is also free from monitoring. That means no probation or parole, and no Megan's Law, even though authorities still consider him to pose a danger to the public.

Angel Fox, who would be Feigley's next-door neighbor, organized today's protest along with a petition drive to prevent his return. She learned about Feigley from an article in Sunday's Patriot-News.

Authorities say they can't keep Feigley in prison or restrict where he lives.

"It's been affecting me since I read about what he did," Fox said this week, echoing comments from several neighbors. "I mean, what happens when I'm not at home? Do I have to worry about what's happening with my kids? I have to try to do something."

At the protest, people passed out literature about how to avoid being a victim of a sexual crime and carried signs saying, among other things, "Don't let him hurt again." The protest was quiet and peaceful, with participants talking among themselves and to passers-by, with police officers patrolling.

Among those joining the protest were Jennifer Storm, executive director of the Dauphin County Victim/Witness Assistance Program, and Tina L. Nixon from the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg. They said they were on hand to support Fox and the community. ..News Source.. by The Patriot-News

PA- Protest: Marietta picket targets sex offenders

8-9-2008 Pennsylvania:

The message was clear. Protesters waved signs proclaiming, "Hit the road," "Not welcome in Marietta" and "Show no love for sex offenders" Saturday morning outside the residence in which former state representative Tom Armstrong houses three sex offenders. Saturday's demonstration was the second outside Armstrong's house, located at 704 East Market St. in Marietta, which has been a hotbed of debate for weeks. One of the protesters' main concerns is the safety of children in town.

"I'm here because I have grandchildren," Mary Smith said. "I think it's too close to our schools and our bus stop."

Tracy Portner agreed, saying she was picketing "just to get these wrong people out of Marietta and keep our women and children safe."

Mark Jardel, who lives just down the street from the house, said, "My issue is that it takes away from the community, and there are a lot of children around town. Who's monitoring these guys?"

Richard Owen, who served a 20-year prison sentence for rape, said there is accountability at the house, including a sign out sheet. The other two men are Paul Studdard, convicted of possessing child pornography on computers at Millersville University, where he was formerly employed, and Richard Barker, who served time for aggravated indecent assault of a minor.

"We go nowhere unless we tell each other where we're going," he said, adding that they all attend weekly meetings and receive counseling.

Owen said Armstrong really stepped up in providing these people housing. "The system demands approved housing for sex offenders," he said, but provides little help in finding adequate residence.

The protesters want them out anyway.

CA- 60 protest at sex offenders' home

In violation of the state's registry law these people protest, and police do nothing: "290.46(l) (1) A person is authorized to use information disclosed pursuant to this section only to protect a person at risk. (2) Except as authorized under paragraph (1) or any other provision of law, use of any information that is disclosed pursuant to this section for purposes relating to any of the following is prohibited: (A) Health insurance. (B) Insurance. (C) Loans. (D) Credit. (E) Employment. (F) Education, scholarships, or fellowships. (G) Housing or accommodations. (H) Benefits, privileges, or services provided by any business establishment."

4-27-2008 California:

About 60 people protested outside a residential care facility near Gardena on Saturday where organizers say several sex offenders have been living.

Although the home's operators are not breaking any laws, critics say the home is too close to family homes in the 15000 block of Sandel Avenue.

"My grandmother lives there," said Jasmine Cannick, who grew up in the the unincorporated area east of Gardena. "She was concerned. She's 87. I'm concerned for her."

Cannick said the house was put up for sale about a year ago, and someone recently leased it and turned it into a boarding facility earlier this year.

"The problem is they have six people living there, and they never informed the neighborhood."

A couple of Los Angeles sheriff's deputies were on hand, but there was no trouble at the protest, Cannick said.

"It was good because even in 90-degree weather, you had seniors out there," Cannick said. "The neighborhood doesn't want them. Something needs to be put on the books on how to notify people."

Cannick said that while the home is not near a school or park, having sex offenders live there is not appropriate because most of the residents are elderly or have children.

"It's prime pickings for people who want to establish a group home. But you have people raising families. Kids are always outside playing."

A similar protest occurred last month at a Carson hotel where about 30 paroled sex offenders had moved.

That group demanded that state officials remove the men from the house.

A March Daily Breeze investigation revealed that state officials had been housing the offenders at the 60-unit Carson Plaza Hotel because it meets Jessica's Law requirements that they live at least 2,000 feet from parks, residences and schools.

The state paid $80 a day to the hotel manager for renters to stay at the facility.

At the March protest, Carson Councilman Mike Gipson said he wanted every sex offender to leave town.

"They won't do this in Beverly Hills. It won't happen in Simi Valley," Gipson said.

"We don't want them in our city." ..more.. by Josh Grossberg, Staff Writer

CA- Mistrial declared in bid for molester's freedom

2-7-2008 California:

An Orange County jury deadlocked Wednesday on whether an aging pedophile who admitted he molested 10 boys should be released from a state mental facility. It was the second time a jury had failed to reach a decision in the case.

Sid Landau, wearing a hearing aid, showed little reaction as jurors reported that they were at an impasse after 3 1/2 days of deliberations, leaning 8 to 4 in favor of the petition by prosecutors to keep him hospitalized because he remained a danger to society.

Judge Richard M. King declared a mistrial and ordered a hearing Friday on whether Landau should face a third trial. The 68-year-old's first trial, in June 2006, ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked 11 to 1 in favor of setting him free.

After court adjourned Wednesday, Deputy Dist. Atty. Amy Pope said she believed "unequivocally" that Landau remained a danger but declined to say whether her office would retry the case.

Landau's attorney, Leonard Levine, said, "We believe 12 people may never agree unanimously on a verdict."

Landau has been hospitalized at state mental facilities for nearly eight years while prosecutors have pursued a petition under the state's Sexually Violent Predator Statute, which allows offenders deemed a continual threat to remain in state custody after their prison sentences are completed.

Protesters Hound Owner Of Pet Shop

1-27-2008 Florida:

PLANT CITY - The flier on the door of the new pet store on Wheeler Street seemed innocuous enough: Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Few people in the community realized the true nature of the prohibition, or that it was required by law.

Many still don't, despite the controversy that has swirled for three years around Pet City Center and its owner, Gary Hicks, who recently packed up his snakes, fish, lizards and rats as protesters threw a victory party outside.

The "victory," he believes, will be short-lived.

"They slandered me," Hicks said. "We're suing them."

Some of the picketers were back Saturday, armed with signs protesting the opening of Hicks' new enterprise - a grooming parlor next door to his former pet store.

"Arrested for Animal Abuse," read one sign. "Sexual Predator," read another. "He's moved," announced a third.

The battle over Hicks' pet store began in March 2005. Hicks had just opened Pet City Center, weeks after his release from Calhoun Correctional Institution, where he had served less than a year of a 12-year sentence related to crimes against children.

That same month, the body of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford was found buried beside her neighbor's mobile home in Citrus County. John Evander Couey, a convicted child molester, was charged with raping and killing the girl.

People started plugging ZIP codes into the state's sex offender registry in record numbers, searching for the potential pedophile-next-door. Some found Hicks, and the 37-year-old pet store owner suddenly became a topic of consuming community interest.

Group pickets restaurant over placement of sex offender

Parolee's home is owned by proprietor of Racine eatery; owner of Somers restaurant is protesting
11-25-2007 Wisconsin:

RACINE — Darcy Powell lives in a gray, nondescript house surrounded by a well-kept yard on a dead-end street.

There is no name on his mailbox. There is no car in the driveway. There is no sunlight that enters his house since the white shades are kept closed and down.

The dwelling he lives in is among four other houses on a roadway on the northwest edge of Kenosha County in the Town of Somers. On the other side of the two-lane road, there is a small basketball hoop in a driveway, a trampoline in a backyard and an assortment of children’s playthings.

Powell, who was convicted of two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child and two counts of incest with a child in 1996, preyed on children for years. He now lives in the clutches of the state’s Chapter 980, a program that binds convicted sex offenders to a tightly supervised life outside of prison.

“He is living in his own little prison,” his mentor, Terry Maack, the deacon of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Kenosha, said Sunday afternoon.

Hell to Pay

Russell Charles Markvardsen was ultimately murdered in his cabin along with a friend. (Posted in Related Deaths)

7-19-1997 California:

New law lets police divulge information about sex offenders, but is it flawed?

FURIOUS AND FRIGHTENED Santa Rosa neighbors got their wish. Convicted child molester Russell Charles Markvardsen, target of protests after Sonoma County sheriff's officials released his name, address, photograph, and criminal history on a landmark flier, is now behind bars in San Quentin.

His is the first arrest since the July 1 public release of the so-called Megan's Law CD-ROM computer system, which lists the criminal records of 64,000 sex offenders statewide. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department became the first in the state to distribute "community alert" fliers about four high-risk registered sex offenders living in the county.

This move, later mirrored in several communities, and the CD-ROM--which local and state officials now acknowledge is riddled with errors--is drawing criticism from civil libertarians who see Megan's Law as a flawed and potentially dangerous crime-fighting tool. "The law is irrational," says Kelli Evans, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. "On the one hand, we want offenders to reform, but on the other, we make it impossible for them to live in a community and hold down a job.



"So people are going underground and moving from town to town, which also disrupts any treatment plan they may be undergoing."

Last Wednesday morning, just hours before his arrest, Russell Markvardsen sat in his heavily curtained Beachwood Drive living room in the Roseland section of Santa Rosa, a seascape painting over the sofa and a pile of National Geographics under the coffee table. He spoke about the impact of the public disclosure. He denied having had contact with neighbors or making threatening phone calls as alleged by one neighbor.

Convicted Sex Offender Causes Concern In Coopertown

9-4-2007 Tennessee:

Some members of the Coopertown community in Robertson County are making it their personal crusade to warn people about a convicted sex offender in their neighborhood.

The convicted sex offender, Charles Cornelius Sloan, is living across the street from the Coopertown Middle School and next to a daycare and there is nothing authorities can do about it.

Sloan, who was convicted of convicted of aggravated sexual battery in January 1997, was living in his home at 3839 Highway 47 West before Tennessee law required convicted sex offenders to live at least 1,000 feet away from schools and daycares.

Neighbor Judy Ellis is making awareness her mission.

She said, “I don't think he deserves any protection. I don't think he needs to hide in that pretty little house of his and not have his own sign in the front yard."

Ellis said if she had it her way, it would be very clear where convicted sex offenders live within the area.

“There should be a sign in their yard until he drops dead,” she told News 2.

On his block, a molester

12-6-2006 California:

MY neighbor was a child molester.

I know because of the signs.

Michael Miletti's face, name and address appear on posters lining Wapello Street in Altadena, with the admonishment: "Leave Our Neighborhood Now Child Molester." Up since May, the signs are staked into lawns, taped to trash cans and nailed to tree trunks.

I live around the corner with my wife and 7-year-old daughter. Suddenly, an issue that had seemed abstract became deeply personal.

These days, convicted sex offenders can't hide. A state website lists 63,000 of them, searchable by name, address or ZIP Code.

The site, which includes child molesters and offenders whose victims were adults, evolved from the passage of Megan's Law a decade ago. Sex offenders must register their current addresses,something they wouldn't have to do if they had been convicted of dealing drugs, or even killing a person.

The database is meant to give parents, especially, information that will help them protect their children. But as my neighborhood shows, it can also open residents to fears and resentments they previously never had to confront. For some of them, there was only one solution: They would try to drive a neighbor away.

Southbridge sex offender says police singling him out for ruin

7-29-2006 Massachusetts:

SOUTHBRIDGE— A Level 3 sex offender who was recently released from prison is accusing police of “a crusade” to ruin him.

Police have been working with the man’s neighbors, who are taking extra precautions since his release May 31 from the Worcester County House of Correction in West Boylston.

The offender, Benjamin F. Pierce, responded Thursday and yesterday to a story published Thursday in the Telegram & Gazette about a community meeting on sex offenders hosted by police Wednesday night.

Mr. Pierce, 54, of 11 Jennison St., most recently served 18 months on a 2004 charge in Southbridge for breaking and entering a motor vehicle and larceny.

His sex-crime history includes a conviction in 1980 for a rape that occurred three years earlier in Durham, N.H. Mr. Pierce has also been convicted four times for open gross lewdness between 1995 and 2000. He is on the state Sex Offender Registry as a Level 3 offender, meaning he is deemed at high risk to offend again.

David H. Erickson of Concord, Mr. Pierce’s lawyer for the breaking and entering and larceny charges, said a sexually dangerous person action from Jan. 4 was dismissed at the request of the state on May 31, the day of his release.

DA: Man plotted to burn down sex offenders' home

Updated: 4-24-2007

9-20-2006 New York:

A Mastic man pleaded not guilty to attempted-murder charges Wednesday in an alleged plot to burn down a house where four Level 3 sex offenders lived, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Spota said police detectives, acting on a tip earlier this month, sent an undercover officer to befriend Donald Keegan, a county employee and part-time landscaper who lives less than a mile from the home he planned to torch on Eleanor Avenue. The officer used a hidden camera with audio to tape Keegan, 36, in the backyard of the target home. "I'm going to be going to them from the back, but I'm going to be lighting the side," Keegan told the detective. "The main concern is, I don't know how to explain this: I want them dead."

Keegan planned to burn the house on the evening of Sept. 9, Spota said, using paint thinner and a road flare detectives found in the front seat of Keegan's Ford Mustang when they arrested him that night. Police, who wiretapped Keegan after getting the tip, searched his home and car after the arrest, and found a pit where Keegan did test burns to determine how fast the paint thinner would burn materials.

"He expressed very clearly not only to burn down the house, but kill the sex offenders," Spota said at a news conference Wednesday. "Never should a person be taking the law into their own hands seeking to burn down a house, no matter who they are."

Keegan was charged in Suffolk County Court with nine counts, including second-degree attempted murder and second-degree attempted arson, both felonies with maximum prison terms of 25 years. Keegan is being held on $1 million cash bail or $2 million bond.

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..

Home of sex offender picketed

11-4-2004 Maine:

Police do nothing knowing full well what the community is doing is against the law including the registry law! ----SEE REPORT OF HIS DEATH BELOW----
HOLLIS — The next-door neighbor of a convicted sex offender just out of prison said she will continue protesting in front of his home until he leaves. ... Even if convicted sex offender Joseph Tellier were to leave, however, there would still be 16 convicted sex offenders living within a five-mile radius of north Hollis, according to the Maine Sex Offender Registry. The registry shows that most communities are home to convicted sex offenders.

When Tellier, 57, settled in Hollis after serving 15 years for molesting and beating a 10-year-old Saco girl, his arrival gathered considerable attention. The publicity had nothing to do with legal notification requirements - there were none in this case - but resulted instead from the efforts of his victim, 26-year-old Michelle Tardif, still of Saco. Tellier, who lives at 135 Waterboro Road in a home with Halloween decorations and several large no trespassing signs outside, could not be located for comment.

Tardif went door-to-door to alert residents of Tellier's history. State law does not require those convicted before June 30, 1992 to register as sex offenders, said Tardif, who wants the Legislature to close the loophole. Civil libertarians, defense lawyers and some criminal justice officials have said that alerting residents to the presence of a sex offender can lead to attacks by vigilantes, can make it almost impossible for the person to earn a livelihood, and can force some convicts to abscond, making it harder to keep track of them.

Because of Tardif's efforts, Tellier's arrival in the neighborhood of single-family homes attracted more attention than most registered sex offenders. Earlier this week, about 15 neighbors holding signs protesting Tellier's presence gathered in front of the split-level ranch home where he lives. But one resident said neighbors need to put Tellier's arrival in perspective. There were sex offenders in the area before Tellier arrived, and others would still be around even if he were to leave, said Michelle Gentry, who runs a day-care center for 50 children about half a mile from Tellier's home.

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

---

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]

Assembly Bill Documents various incidents against registered sex offenders

4-9-2003 California Legislature: ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY: AB 1184 (Spitzer) - As Amended: April 9, 2003

Consider the recent case of an offender who spent 21 years in custody after molesting a four-year-old child. In September 2003, David Phillips was released from Patton State Hospital after the Court of Appeal ruled that the trial court lacked jurisdiction when it committed him in 1982. After moving to Riverside and registering as a sex offender, the police distributed fliers to area residents. According to a September 26, 2003 article in a local newspaper, ". . . Phillips has moved three times in the week since he was released from Patton State Hospital near Highland. Each time, authorities have alerted his neighbors that a high-risk sex offender has moved into the area. Each time, Phillips said, the news has prompted his landlord to ask him to move out." After moving into his second residence, there was a public protest involving a group of approximately 100 citizens. Because the residence was less than one mile from an elementary and middle school, school officials issued thousands of letters to parents whose children attended public schools within a five-mile radius. After moving to a third residence, a sober-living 12 step residential program, the owner asked Phillips to leave "because she did not want his presence to create problems for the other people living there." A group of citizens had begun planning a further protest. Two weeks after being released and attempting to find housing in Riverside, Phillips moved to San Bernardino and registered as a 'transient' sex offender.

In October 2000, more than 100 residents of Norco, California gathered to protest the presence of a convicted sex offender who had been released to the community. According to press reports, upon his release in May 2000, members of the community began to "galvanize efforts to force him out." For several months, residents in the neighborhood had posted signs in front of their homes and collected petitions. Some of the signs pointed to the home where the person was living with his mother and identified him as a child molester. One sign read, "child molesters are a dying breed". On the day of the community meeting, a person had spray-painted 'fagit' on the driveway of the convicted offender. According to his mother, she was attempting to raise money through a garage sale he move him out of the neighborhood. Residents of the neighborhood defaced the garage sale signs with anti-child molester slogans and the sale was a failure.

In November 2000, Assemblyman George Runner (Sponsor of Prop 83) and city officials in Lancaster picketed outside an apartment where a registered sex offender had moved in with relatives. In addition, more than one dozen residents passed out fliers alerting members of the public that that he had moved there and demanding his eviction.

Assemblyman George Runner and city officials in Lancaster including Mayor Frank Roberts and Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford have picketed outside an apartment where Andre Bradford, 41, a registered sex offender, has moved in with relatives. ..more.. : by California Legislature