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SHERIFF’S OFFICE CHECKING REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, November 7, 2009 12:33 AM CST

Recent stories about registered sex offenders, including an incident in Ohio where a number of bodies were found in the home of a registered sex offender, have prompted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department to take a fresh look at the offenders they’re responsible for keeping track of.

“Sometimes law enforcement gets complacent and it takes a tragedy to wake us up,” Sheriff Gerald Robinson said. “We don’t want to wake up and find a child dead or people who are hurt because we didn’t do what we’re supposed to do.”

Robinson said there are 60 registered sex offenders living in unincorporated parts of the county, and a task force of investigators “checked all 60 of them.”

Capt. John McNeil, who headed the task force, said investigators were able to locate 90 percent of the offenders, and are currently working on criminal charges against three of them.

“We believe the others were not at home or were out of town and we’re going to continue checking on them,” McNeil said.

When Robinson first sought the sheriff’s office and again last year when he ran for re-election, he pledged to keep the county safe and protected.

“And not just against sex offenders but against all types of criminals,” Robinson said. “We’re going to continue to be pro-active, rather than reactive. and that way we don’t get caught with our pants down.”

As part of that pledge, Robinson said deputies will resume patrolling areas around schools “because we know that some predators prey on children before and after school.

“It’s our responsibility to let the public know about registered offenders living in their neighborhood and we want the public to let us know if they see any kind of suspicious activity,” Robinson said. “We believe we’ve done a decent job but we don’t want to be just decent. We want to be exemplary in keeping people and especially our children safe.”

Thirty level three offenders live in unincorporated areas of the county, McNeil said. There are no level four offenders. Level three and four offenders are considered the most likely to offend again.

Eight of the remaining 30 are level one offenders, another 17 are level two, four more are unassessed, while the last was a transfer from another state.

Robinson said anyone with information about any of the offenders, or any other criminal activity should contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 541-5496, the Patrol Division at 541-5376, or call 911 in the event of an emergency.

Information about registered sex offenders, including photographs, can be found on the sheriff’s department website at www.jeffcoso.com.

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