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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
wolverine8
member
WWYD? re: sex offenders in neighborhood
wolverine8
member
We are looking at houses to buy and I just did a sex offender search near the house we are really interested in. There are 6 offenders within about a 3 block radius, two of which have child-related offences, one of which would live on the next block up from the house. His most recent offence was in 1996, he has 3 total since 1984. WWYD? My initial instinct is to run and find another house. We have not put an offer down yet, but this is one of those things that makes me sick to think about. I know that there are offenders everywhere and we can't escape it altogether, but the fact that he is so close really makes me want to bail.
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Re: WWYD? re: sex offenders in neighborhood
Unable to even.
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You don't understand the appeal of Benedict Cumberbatch / think he's fug / don't know who he is? WATCH SHERLOCK. Until you do, your negative opinion of him will not be taken seriously.
No, but when I do the search and look at other people, the child-related offences are the only ones that are actually listed in the "crime" field, whereas other offenders it doesnt' say.
Would you feel comfortable letting your child play alone in the backyard with a chain-link fence? I know that they are everywhere, but I can't say that I would be okay with DS being alone outside (while I was home of course) knowing that an offender was a block away.
I would say either do not let your child play outside or find another house. Unfortunately, like PP said, they are everywhere.
Not knowing what kind of crime the offender went down for would give me pause. I think you can find out, it's public info, right? I wouldn't give up on a house I loved without knowing more what I was dealing with.
Always Sunny's back b-tches!
Yes I would be comfortable letting my child play in my yard with a chain link fence while I was home. By the time my kids are old enough to play outside alone, they are typically old enough to scream if someone comes in the yard that is not allowed. I also would probably have my large breed dog in the yard with my child.
A Frog, A Monkey and a Ladybug
Good point! OP, what site are you using to search? I think the Megan's Law website and similar sites have limited info, maybe try searching for info on your local sheriff's dept. website.
Yeah, cause as far as I know people who statuatory raped their high school girlfriend/boyfriend are on the list under child related crimes. I don't think I would worry about those as much as I would violent adult predators.
Always Sunny's back b-tches!
Yes, this is true. Also, I just read on my local sheriff's website that there is a new law that no longer classifies them by levels, but rather by their registration duration. Not sure if this is a Nebraska only law. Obviously the lesser severe sex offenses would be classified by a 15 year registration duration and lifetime would be the maximum.
The fact that he had more than one offense over several years would indicate it wasn't a matter of a 19 yr old sleeping with his 17 yr old girlfriend.
Even if he was arrested mulitple times she would have had to have been 11 at the first arrest.
I'd do a public records search for the guy and see what I could find out. A google search of his name and your state may lead you to info (news articles, etc.) as well.
True in this case, I was talking more generally. But still, I think I would dig a little deeper, as you are suggesting.
Always Sunny's back b-tches!
I was using our state online report through the Sheriffs dept so I know it's updated and legit. I don't want to give up on this house and after talking to my parents, they both said they are not too worried. As I said before, I know they are all over the place. One could move in next door and we'd have no control over it. I like that I'll know what he looks like and where he lives. I also know that we will teach him as he gets older about strangers and the dangers related to different scenarios. I think as a parent it just terrifies me to even think about, but now I'm more concerned about what schools he will be going to.
We had a registered sex offender move in right next door. I was beside myself. I actually called the sheriff's department and asked exactly what the crime was. I was told that it was rape (adult), that force was NOT involved but alcohol WAS. After getting to know the neighbor, he had sex with a woman - BOTH were drunk. She thought better of it in the a.m. and called the police. He was charged because she was "too drunk to give consent". He is the best neighbor I have ever had and would do anything for us. He is married and has 5 children now. That one night has really changed his life forever.
There are a lot of people on the sex registry who's story you really need to know before you decide.
That being said, a CHILD sex offense would be a deal breaker for me.
Maybe I'm in the minority but if I loved the house, I'd buy it. Like someone said, there are sex offenders everywhere. I obviously live in a heavily populated, concentrated area but I was actually searching the registry a couple months ago and all my former residences had at least 1 SO in a 3 block radius. Plus, who's to say you wouldn't buy a house w/o any registered nearby and then one moves in? Or, someone who was never on the registry commits a sex crime, or...etc. Also, it's been 16 years and while I obviously think sex crimes are horrible, I'm just not into the sex offender registry - so many people are on there because of things like statutory rape, so many reformed SOs get their houses vandalized, etc.
I agree with this 100%. After talking with DH about it, we both feel that it is not a deal breaker for us. Maybe that makes bad parents (I hope not!) but we are firm believers in education and while children still make mistakes, we will do our best to teach DS everything we can to hopefully prevent something like that from ever happening.
I remember when I was a child and my mom would tell me that I had to tell her right away if someone tried to touch me in my private area. I thought how odd that someone would want to do that! But I still remember it to this day.
I'm with you two. Besides, the vast majority of child abuse cases are NOT by strangers. It will be someone you know who hurts your child. I don't worry about stranger abuse or abduction. Stats just don't go that way. But maybe I'm crazy.
There is practically no where that you can get away from sex offenders. I live 1 block from the elementary school and 1 from the high school. 5 blocks away there are 3 offenders.
You'd really need to find out what their offenses really are.
One of my friends is actually registered as a sex offender of a minor, but she was 21 and the kid was 17 (and had lied about his age telling her that he was 19 so she had no idea). People can be registered for dumb stuff, so I wouldn't jump to conclusions until you know more.
There still may be more info that you need....does this person own or rent the house? I think you need more detail on the actual offense.
FWIW, I am more afraid of the people I can't find anything on than the people whose names are in the papers and up on the registries. When they don't show up anywhere, they are more of a threat, because they are on no one's radar.
That being said, we live right across the street from someone who has been highly suspected of molestation of his own son. Sick. He's never been convicted. DH's grandmother watched the son leap out the front door in a dress saying "don't touch me in my no-no place" when the son was little, along with vaious other incidents. (DH's grandmother lived there before us) He's about 80 now, so I doubt he will be a threat, but DD will know not to go anywhere near that house or anyone who lives there. The entire house gives me the creeps.