We'll Get You! 161 Registered Sex Offenders Live Near Somer

The day after Somer Thompson's body was identified, authorities said they had ruled out all 161 registered sex offenders who lived within a 5-mile radius of Somer's home. 

The list of registered sex offenders has given us the false impression that their children are safe. With experience and statistics, we have estimated that only one in ten child predators ever enters the legal system. On Dateline, a series To Catch a Predator aired for three years. With adults posing as children they lured online predators to come to see them when they were supposedly home alone.  Chris Hansen was astounded to find that only 5-10% were already in the legal system. 

Registered predators are only the tip of the iceberg. To create safe environments for children each of us must learn to recognize those who mean our children harm. You must know how to recognize behavior that means danger. Use Yello Dyno's Red Flags created by law enforcement experts to learn how to spot child predators. If you know someone who meets 2 or 3 of these red flags be sure to take a closer look.

Eight Red Flags for Identifying Child Predators In Your Child's Life Pass the Red Flags on to friends and family.

Identify Child Predators Before They Strike!

Related articles: Mother of slain girl sends message to unknown killer.
 Sex offenders not suspects in Florida girl's murder.

Student faces porn charge over text sent by classmate.

Sanger Middle School - A controversy has arisen out of Denton County, Texas, involving a 13-year-old boy, a cell phone and a text message. That message has landed the middle schooler in juvenile detention on child pornography charges.  

"I know some girl was taking pictures of herself and sending it to multiple guys. Obviously, they've still got their picture on their phone because they are now getting in trouble," said Bethany Mitchell, a classmate.

Ease of cell phones and the web to transmit images are stepping curious children into illegal activity. The laws are going to have to be taught to both parents and children so they know how this could damage their lives. 

Download new_student_faces_porn_charge_over_text_sent_by_classmate.com.pdf

Age of Consent: What's Too Young?

Laws governing age of consent are different in different states. One of the problems is that teens don't always know the law before 'attraction" takes over. How do we protect children from child predators and keep kids who fall into the system by mistake off the sex register lists?

Watch this thought provoking video clip:

Sex Offender Data To Expand: Texas is Fourth Best In The Nation

At least 5 million unique visitors go to the criminal history section of the Texas state's database each month, most to the sex offender portion. This year, www.toptenreviews.com, a Web site that reviews online registries, listed the Texas state agency's sex offender registry as the fourth-best in the nation.

The Texas Department of Public Safety plans to update its online sex offender registry this spring to let people know where offenders work or go to school. When the registry is revised, sex offender records will also show complete registration histories, former addresses and conviction information in Texas and out of state. People will be able to sign up for e-mail notification when a sex offender moves into their ZIP code and when that offender's information is updated or changed.

But Ruth Epstein, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Central Texas, said people's ability to find sex offenders in their workplaces or classrooms raises privacy concerns and could send offenders who are trying to get treatment into hiding. "What happens to a criminal who can't work because he is being harassed?" she asked. "He goes underground, and he commits more criminal activity."

What do you think of her concern?

Download revised_sex_offender_registry_coming_soon.pdf

Megan's Law: Will It Be Struck Down?

A number of lawyers representing sex-offender plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit seek to declare the entire registry law unconstitutional. That case is now pending before U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper in Atlanta.

The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday declared unconstitutional a provision of a 2006 state law that prohibits registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of day care centers, schools, churches and other places where children congregate.

"Obviously, it's extremely disappointing, he said. In throwing out the residency requirement in total, based on one situation, the effect of their ruling is that now convicted felony sex offenders are free to live anywhere they want to in Georgia, whether it's a park, playground or day care center next door."

Georgia Supreme Court Declared Law Unconstitutional Download overturn_jessica_law_ban.pdf

As society has imposed restrictions, it becomes almost impossible for them to find places to live. The problem is worsening in Florida as about 100 local ordinances add restrictions to the state's 1,000-foot rule, said Florida Corrections Department spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger. Sixteen homeless offenders are now living under a Miami bridge, while another took to sleeping on a bench outside a probation office.

California State figures show a 27 percent increase in homelessness among California's 67,000 registered sex offenders since the law took effect in November 2006. Since August, the number of offenders with no permanent address rose by 560 to 2,622.

Around Jessica's Law Download around_jessicas_law.pdf

Just the Facts

What we often want but can't get - Just the Facts! In response to the questions you've been asking me at the workshops I've presented in the last year, I created a new section on the Yello Dyno website to provide people with a good source of information - without opinions - Just the Facts, Jack!

"Just the Facts" will serve as a repository of important resources, articles, laws and more, starting with the first section, "Sex Offenders". This section includes:

1. Frequently Asked Questions about Sex Offenders - special info for Texas, New York and Washington State

2. An alphabetical list of all states' links to their Registered Sex Offenders websites

3. Juvenile Sex Offenders articles, laws and links

4. The Adam Walsh Child Protection Act

5. Links to Registered Sex Offenders websites to learn who is near you

6. Warning from a Convicted Sex Offender

Need questions answered? Let me know what other resources and information would be beneficial to you.

Many Sex Offenders Missing Since Katrina

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf States, setting in motion horrific tragedies, many of which are still unresolved nearly two years later, including the unleashing of (formerly) registered sex offenders. My Yello Dyno Monthly Memo of September 2005, titled "Hurricane Katrina is sending Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide to a street near you...", alerted readers to this issue. As described in a recent article on WDSU.com, almost two-thirds are still unaccounted for. All the more reason to teach our children how to recognize deceptive and dangerous behavior. This article is a must-read, particularly for Texas, since so many predators came with the refugees. According to WDSU.com:

Hundreds of registered sex offenders -- including rapists and child molesters -- are still missing after they were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Although the New Orleans Police Department and other agencies have launched an agressive search, law enforcement faces an uphill battle. (Complete online article or Yello Dyno PDF of online article)

10% of Registered Sex Offenders Could have a MySpace Page

Would you allow your child to be alone in a group of 100 strangers - knowing that 10 of them are sex offenders? Well, that may be exactly what we are letting our kids do. The following article needs to go to every concerned adult who knows kids who are on MySpace.

Tarrant County prosecutor Lori “Varnell and research assistant Linda Eakman embarked on a project to find out how many registered sex offenders in Tarrant County have MySpace pages. The results were eye-opening: Of the 2,800 registered sex offenders in Tarrant County, Varnell and Eakman randomly selected 837 of them. They found that 79, or 9.4 percent, had a MySpace page.

"And that," Varnell said, "is just the ones who say where they are located and give their real name."…

Varnell said if Tarrant County is representative of other counties and states, 10 percent of registered sex offenders could have a MySpace page. (Complete article by Melody McDonald of the Star-Telegram or Yello Dyno PDF of the article)

MySpace Offers a "Buffet" of Children for Child Predators, but Texas Attorney General Abbott is Crashing the Party

Seven convicted sex offenders with profiles on MySpace.com have been arrested in what Texas officials said was the country's first large-scale crackdown of registered offenders who use the social networking Web site. Four men were arrested in Houston, two in Austin, and one in Dallas during a two-week operation by the Texas Attorney General's Cyber Crimes and Fugitive Units.

Attorney General Abbott has earned a national reputation for aggressively arresting and prosecuting child predators and this is another feather in his “Stetson". Texas is headed in the right direction. No longer is a slap on the wrist going to be the response. The message is loud and clear, “You mess with our kids and we’re going to mess with you.”  Thanks to the Cyber Crimes and Fugitive Units and all those involved in making cyber space safer for our kids.

How will all this play out? What do you think?

Following are some key articles and press releases reflecting the stance Texas is taking.

Seven Texas Sex Offenders Arrested for MySpace Profiles (PDF)

Texas Attorney General: First-in-the-Nation Crackdown on Sex Offenders Using MySpace.com Yields Multiple Arrests (PDF)

Child Pornographers Investigated by Cyber Crimes Unit Receive Tough Prison Sentences (PDF)

Local child predator gets 70 years for online solicitation, child port (PDF)

Victoria Child Predator Caught by Cyber Crimes Unit Receives 70-Year State Prison Sentence (PDF)

Are Sex Offenders Getting Younger, More Violent?

Many of you who read my blog must deal with the issue of sex offenders, often on a daily basis. The following disturbing article could make any mom lose her peace of mind. So, what is your experience on this topic? Are the stats correctly interpreted? Which of these opposing views is more accurate?

Headline and quotes from AP article (Stockton, Calif., June 9, 2007) on CBS News website, “Cases Involving Juvenile Sex Offenders Has Risen 40% In 20 Years” (or view a Yello Dyno PDF of the article):

YES, the situation is worse:

"The whole society is not yet up on this problem.... These kids, on the extreme end, if nothing is done to catch them, they're going to become our adult offenders of tomorrow."

"Studies show that one in two sex offenders began their sexually abusive behavior as juveniles."

"The rise in juevenile sex offenders has spawned hundreds of new treatment facilities for children as young as 5."

NO, it is not a bigger problem:

"There aren't more kids, there are more laws.... We now have fairly draconian laws with very harsh sanctions that apply to juveniles."

"...many children are unnecessarily treated as sex offenders. True pedophiles are extremely rare among young people...."