What would you do?

jsmatos

jsmatos

Joined
Apr 6, 2002
Messages
1,979
My best friend called me a little while ago and asked me to look into this guy who lives near her who is "apparently" a sexual offender. I reply, "Well let's not go on a witch hunt here. I'll pull it up on FDLE.com and see what it says. She agrees."

Sex Batt/Coerce child by Adult (Principal) and then in big red letters PREDATOR.

Now a little more detail. She lives across the street from a park where she brings her two beautiful children everyday. He lives directly across from her on the opposite side of the park. The park is in between them. She tells me that he stands in his driveway once in awhile and watches the children. :mad:

I call the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and ask about it. Here's the conversation:

Me- "Hello, I wanna get some information about a sexual predator."

PBSO-"You can get all the information you need on the web."

Me- "I'm on the web and I see the words "Sex batt/coerce child.." and then I see "PREDATOR" in big, red letters. I'm an attorney, and I don't even know what that means. What kind of crime are we talking about here. I need details."

PBSO-"I can't tell you because it's against the law."

Me- "No, it's not it's a public record."

PBSO- "I can't tell you over the phone. You can come out here and get it..."

Me- "I wanna know what this sexual "predator" was convicted of being that he lives across the street from a park where children play, and sometimes he stands in his driveway and watches..."

PBSO- "Lewd and Lascivious acts on preschool children, obscene materials to minors, sexual battery on child under 16 (6 counts)." "You can come here and pick up the file, his case number is *******."

Me- "Thank you."

I'm really upset. I know some things that I'm going to tell her to do. I'm just wondering what would you do?
 
Pick up the files and pass them along to her. Then it's up to her and her neighbors. There may not be any legal action they can take, but at least they'll be informed and aware of the danger.

-Bob
 
So the officer on the phone knew who this person was based on the fact that he lives across from a park where children play? Also, why did the officer decide to give you the info over the phone after saying he/she couldn't do that? Based on the fact that this guy stood in his driveway?

I don't understand.
 
If I had someone like that living next to me I would sell my house and move.
If she cannot do that I would certainly let everyone in the neighborhood know he is there.
 
Okay, I left some of the details out because written dialogue is always too lengthy. Obviously, I told her the guys name and address. It's on the FDLE website. As for why she changed her mind, that's anyone's guess, but I think it's fairly obvious that she sees a threat there. Why you don't?
 
I live in Palm Beach County and I can think of a few things to do... :mad:

anyways. since the police are required to inform a sexual offenders neighbors I would think (hope!) that the rest of your friend's neighbors know of him as well. the best I can think of is for them to band together to watch out for each others children and also to watch him. And let him see that he is watched. Let him see that the environment is not benevolent.
 
My first reaction would be to use a scoped and silenced .308 from 1/2 mile out on him. That should take care of the problem. :mad:

My more logical choice would be to start a neighborhood playground watch with parents overseeing the children in shifts.
 
K.V. Collucci said:
My first reaction would be to use a scoped and silenced .308 from 1/2 mile out on him. That should take care of the problem. :mad:
Click to expand...
Using a 175gr SMK doing 2750 and a 100yd zero you will need roughly 31 MOA of "UP" dialed into the scope(depending on temp, humidity and elevation) to reach this distance (880yds/2640ft/.5 mile) Barring any cross wind, aim at where the collar bones come together to ensure a good hit.
Hope that helps. :)
 
m1marty said:
Using a 175gr SMK doing 2750 and a 100yd zero you will need roughly 31 MOA of "UP" dialed into the scope(depending on temp, humidity and elevation) to reach this distance (880yds/2640ft/.5 mile) Barring any cross wind, aim at where the collar bones come together to ensure a good hit.
Hope that helps. :)
Click to expand...
I have no idea what all that means, but am glad to know that if I ever find myself in need of the information I know where to turn.

I agree, expose his brain to sunlight.
 
jsmatos said:
I'm just wondering what would you do?
Click to expand...

Your friend already knows that he is on file as a "predator." What else do you need to tell her?

Even if she moves house, she's still going to be within a short distance of the residence of a child sex offender somewhere.

The vast majority (well over 80%) of sex offences against kids aren't committed by a monster in a hockey mask, they're committed by the babysitter/your brother-in-law/"Uncle Bob" etc.

Take sensible precautions, but don't shrinkwrap the kids.

maximus otter
 
MelancholyMutt said:
those words only mean something to guys who fail out of sniper school...
Click to expand...
Happen to you did it? ;)
Anyone who engages in long range shooting, either as sport or job, knows what the above information says.
*DISCLAIMER* I am not a sniper, nor do I play one on TV. Long range competative shooting is a hobby of mine and has been for many years. :cool:
 
akivory said:
If I had someone like that living next to me I would sell my house and move.
If she cannot do that I would certainly let everyone in the neighborhood know he is there.
Click to expand...
Moving can be a hardship but the letting everyone in the neighborhood know sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe the neighborhood can stand on the street facing his driveway and stare at him for a change.
 
Maximus is quite correct. Even 50 years ago it was known that 50% of the time the abducter/abuser was someone the kid knew. The solution is to watch the kids and instruct them, they have to live in the real world.
 
here in ohio they "can't" live within 1000 ft of a school or playground... Look into that and turn him in? One disturbing thing I found out recently is that taking a pee in public is now classified as a "sex crime" :rolleyes:That scares me since I work outside and facilities are not always available. I think a few men from the neighborhood need to talk to the guy and let it be known he is not welcome there.Maybe even "pickett" or have a rally? I had a known thief move close to me and I had talked to him a few times before I found out. I calmly told him I would be neighborly but that he was not to come onto my place at all-period- end of discussion! I guess my demeaner was such that he got the idea. I never did have trouble. I think that if we stay in fear and not tell someone that we will not be a victim without consequence then they think we are willing. Now for all the "hey you can't threaten someone" crowd- it is not a threat- it is more of an IF-THEN statement. I know that if someone was a threat to my family it will not be tolerated. I am willing to pay the price for the safety of them- especially the kids. My dad says he would take care of things too- he is retired and says he can watch tv in prison too and they will take care of his healthcare. We can't always wait for the system to save us. It is really bad what some are doing to the kids but it is equally as bad that you can't hardly even talk to a kid anymore without someone looking at ya funny. We work with inner city youth with the church and always with several adults around and everyone is background checked etc. A female friend was accused of something and in the investigation (whiched died due to no evidence-it was based based on a neghbor being jealous) big deals were made over gifts given to the kid- he was not the only one to get stuff. Gosh if giving away stuff only meant you want sex with someone I am in big trouble... I have given vampire gerbil stuff :eek: oh and the incident has caused me to back off from alot of what we were doing... how do you prove you DID NOT do something? Who is paying the ultimate price there? Its a wonder anyone gets involved anymore.
 
maximus otter said:
Your friend already knows that he is on file as a "predator." What else do you need to tell her?

Even if she moves house, she's still going to be within a short distance of the residence of a child sex offender somewhere.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I've been following the child sexual offender registry for many years now. The unfortunate thing about it is that most of the "sexual offenders" are statutory rapists which, in my estimation, are "worlds" apart from pedophiles (and rapists) who are the criminals that people are worried about when they are reviewing these registries. Like I've said before, statutory rapists are a statutorily created ill manifested primarily as a means to help reduce teenage pregnancy. Statutory rapists usually involve consensual partners where one is under a very arbitrarily created age of majority. If you were to view the sexual offenders in my county, you would find that the vast majority of them are statutory rapists. As a matter of fact, our sheriff gave an interview in a local paper where he explained that the majority of sexual offenders in our area are people who were in relationships with young people, in many cases where the family was approving of the relationship, until there was a break, and then the teenager or his/her family sought revenge. Now those people, the statutory rapists, are tainted for the rest of their existence. Now, they are included on the same registry as the likes of John Evander Cooey.

The POS who lives across the way from my best friend is a sexual "predator." If you look at the Child Sexual Predator Statute in the state of Florida, you will find that it is very broad in its application. It refers to many other criminal statutes, you would have to work your way through each and every one of them, and imagine the possibilities, to get an idea of exactly what it covers. So no, even being identified as a "predator" is not enough information to do your due diligence. That's why I skipped the statute and called the Sheriff's office. Why imagine the possibilities when I can know the facts.

Now, what I discovered is that this man has been convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on preschool children. No, his type are not a prevalent group out of the 386,000 sexual predators that will soon make up the national registry. People like him make up a much smaller, more pathetic, segment.

My friend and I have never been ignorant or apathetic to the reality that criminals exist, and they are often right next door. Hell, we've had some living within our own walls. However, this is a different type of criminal who preys on very young children. Children who are exactly the same age as her kids.

Obviously, you cannot move everytime some rodent decides to pitch a tent next door, and I agree that she cannot shrink rap her kids. But, keeping in close contact with his supervisor, since he is on supervised release, would be a start. Also, the neighborhood watch group is another idea. Locks, alarms, etc would also fit into the plan. My best friend does not have an alarm. I'm hesitant about any direct contact with such a person, by either picketing or just simple conversation/warnings, until we can get a better idea about his personality. Perhaps we can figure that out by reviewing his case file.

I think that this is an issue that some of us may have to face as a result of these new disclosure laws. It may be because you are a young parent, or perhaps a grandparent, who has young children that you adore who are living in the vicinity of a pedophile. What will you do? That's what I'm asking. What's the plan?

Johnniet, I e-mailed you yesterday. I don't know if you received it or not.
 
I don't understand the logic of law enforcement, corrections departments, who ever decides how long some monster as this is sent to jail for a shorter period of time than a proffessor at USC who just got 25 years in jail for growing marijuana in his home. What is wrong with this picture and why take a chance on a possible another attempt for something to go horribly wrong for some child and family. Jsmatos, unfortunatly he has rights under the law too. :confused: :(
 
OK,this is just me talking. But I can see the following scenario. Go downtown to the courthouse and get a copy of this guys records and a photo, if possible. Make many copies and pass them out to everyone in the neighborhood, for blocks in all directions so he is well known to the neighborhood. Gather up as many serious folks as you can and pay the fellow a friendly visit. A polite visit. And tell him that you know who he is, that he is being watched and will always be watched and that he is to never, under any circumastances to go near any child in the neighborhood at any time. And politely tell him that if anything ever happens to any child in the neighborhood that people will come for him and do him permanent, irreparable harm.

I would say take action and let him know that you are in charge, not him, and that you are aware and very serious.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top