AR - Special Report: Tracking Sex Offenders

Sheriff John Staley

Original Article

11/06/2013

LONOKE - Pedophiles and other convicted sex offenders living in one central Arkansas county are facing stricter enforcement than ever before.
Pedophiles are rare, not the norm like the media loves to portray!

So strict, some of these men and women choose to just move away.

After leaving jail or prison, sex offenders register with the county they live in.

"If they've offended like that, they're probably going to do it again," Sheriff John Staley said. "That's just my opinion."
- Yes that's just your opinion that is not backed up by facts.  The facts are that registrants have a very low recidivism rate for new sexual crimes.

Typically, the offender must go to the sheriff's department to keep their information up-to-date.

But in Lonoke County, Corporal Steve Morgan and Staley also go to them, sometimes catching an offender off guard.

"We're not here to pick on anybody or be mean to folks, but they're going to follow directions," Staley said.

When they make surprise visits to registered sex offender homes, deputies make sure their personal information is correct, everything from the car they drive to the job they hold is checked.
- Registrants need to also realize, when the police come to your door, if you are not on probation / parole, you do not need to let them in or answer any of their questions! All they need is to see that you live there. If they ask other questions like who lives with you, which car is yours, where do you work, etc, tell them to refer to the registration information you provided when you registered.

While some play by the rules, detectives say it's just easier for others to move out of the county as they look for a place where they may be able to slide by with some mistakes.

"I've had three do that just this week," Morgan said.

He credits those offenders moving to a recent sex offender round-up and the department's unannounced visits.

It's extra enforcement some counties or cities may not do.
- It's harassment in our opinion!

"I think sex offenders are starting to notice, and they're starting to want to go to other places where they're not as strict," Morgan said.

It's a goal the sheriff says he's accomplishing by getting tougher on those who pose the biggest threat to children.
- A majority of those on the registry are not a threat to children, many have not even harmed children, yet the police, media and others continue to lump them all into the usual child molesting, predator pedophile who hides behind bushes waiting to pounce on your child, which is totally BS!

"I've got kids," Staley said. "My No. 1 priority is our children, and we've got to keep our kids safe."
- So how does verifying where someone sleeps at night keep children safe?  If an offender wanted to harm a child your Gestapo visits, nor the registry and residency laws would prevent that!

Morgan says once convicted, sex offenders must stay on the registered list for at least 15 years.

Right now, there are more than 100 registered sex offenders in Lonoke County.