Crappy local news rag Crawford County Now (Ohio news site) bashes Registered Citizen working as a paralegal in upcoming trial

These reporters didn't even have the guts to add their names to the article, but it isn't like they have that many reporters, so chances are, Randy Bigley (News Director) and/or Kim Gasurus (News Reporter) wrote this hit piece. Since I can't narrow down who actually deserves this nomination, so I'm just giving it to the whole paper for now. 

I hope they get sued for trying to disrupt the trial. 

Update -- The scumbags from the Crawford County Now are threatening to sue the Shiitake Awards because they are butthurt over the nomination. They apparently don't understand fair use. So maybe they will end up getting sued after all. 

(As an aside, I would not be shocked if it turned out a scumsucker from the Persecutor's office was the "anonymous tip.")

Below are the offensive statements from the articles. Maybe the Crawford County Crapper and their attorney, Mr. Derriere, can take the time to look up what constitutes fair use. 

https://crawfordcountynow.com/local/tier-1-sex-offender-assists-in-benedict-jury-selection/

Tier 1 sex offender assists in Benedict jury selection

By Crawford County Now Staff April 26, 2021 11:32 pm

Crawford County Now

BUCYRUS—A jury was seated in Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Monday to hear the case against Joshua B**...

An anonymous tip was verified revealing that a Tier I Sex Offender was assisting defense attorney Adam Stone during jury selection....

T**** was designated a tier one sex offender (the lowest level offender) and must report annually to the Sheriff’s Department of the county where he resides for the next 15 years...

T*** is currently a paralegal at Stone’s law firm.

During the course of discovery, trial preparation, and today’s jury selection, T*** was present with Stone and actively participating in proceedings.

When reached for comment, Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall noted that his office policy is to not publicly comment on issues regarding an ongoing trial. No comment was given by Adam Stone or representatives of his office in response to inquiries made by Crawford County Now...

https://crawfordcountynow.com/local/benedict-frustrated-and-sickened-by-story/

Benedict ‘frustrated and sickened’ by story

By Crawford County Now Staff April 27, 2021 3:50 pm

Crawford County NowCCN staff

...Yesterday, Crawford County Now received an anonymous tip that a Tier I sex offender was assisting in the jury selection process.

Howard noted that Ryan T***, a paralegal for defense counsel Adam Stone was indeed an active registrant on the offender registry in Crawford County. Howard noted that T** had spent time incarcerated and had done everything required of him. Hall also confirmed that T** was assisting at the defense table during jury selection.

Stone (who had represented T*** in his case) told the court he did not want B** to suffer for a choice he made. He said that B** knew T***’s record and agreed to his assistance in the case. Stone said he has employed T*** for a year and a half. He told the court that T*** has amazing resolve and can communicate effectively with B**. He also noted that since losing his teaching license, T*** had advanced his education to paralegal studies.

Hall then asked B** how he felt about Stone’s ability to effectively represent him.

“I am frustrated and sickened by what happened last night (CCN article). It was formed to hinder our argument, but I don’t feel it hinders Adam’s defense.” B** said.

Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler told the court that he disagreed with B**’s accusation regarding the intent of the article.

“There was no involvement of the state that led to this article. The author of the article contacted the state for a comment, and we offered no comment,” Hoovler said.

It was concluded that the article was not seen by any of the jurors or alternate jurors....

In case you didn't already see this: Missouri is adding conservation areas to the list of places Registrants can't go near

I'm still trying to catch up on events from the end of last month until now due to my work on the new website, but this silly law will add conservation centers or certain athletic fields to the growing list of places Registrants cannot even be near. 

https://www.senate.mo.gov/21info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=54105512

SB 91Prohibits certain offenders of sex crimes from being near certain propertiesSponsor:

Riddle

LR Number:0456S.02PCommittee:General LawsLast Action:4/26/2021 - HCS Voted Do Pass H Judiciary

Journal Page:Title:SCS SB 91Calendar Position:Effective Date:August 28, 2021

Current Bill Summary

SCS/SB 91 - This act provides that persons guilty of certain sex crimes cannot be present or loiter within five hundred feet of athletic complexes or athletic fields that exist primarily for use and recreation of children or within five hundred feet of Missouri Department of Conservation Nature or Education Center properties, unless the registered sex offender is the parent of a child participating in an educational program of the Department of Conservation and has permission to be on the property.

This act is identical to provisions in SB 250 (2021) and similar to SB 638 (2020) and SB 35 (2019).

The village of Hartland WI has a "saturation" law. Now they're justly getting sued for it

 "Village" is a bit of a misnomer. Hartland, population 9268, is a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, so it is a bit big for a village. Regardless, in all my years of covering various laws against Registered Persons, I've never seen a law that could be described a "saturation" law. Essentially, the village has placed limits on the number of Registered Persons who can live within the limits of the community. And now they're getting sued for their efforts. Good.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2021/04/21/lawsuit-challenges-hartlands-limit-sex-offenders/7322327002/

Would-be resident sues Hartland, calls ban on more sex offenders unconstitutional

Bruce Vielmetti

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Karsten Koch, 34, has been living with his parents in Nashotah, but he would like to move out to his own place in Hartland to be closer to his job but not too far from family.

Hartland's police chief has warned Koch he's not welcome, citing the village's moratorium on any more sex offenders living there.

In a federal lawsuit, Koch contends that the village's 2018 ordinance, applied retroactively, amounts to an illegal ex post facto law, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. 

The "designated offenders" banned by the ordinance include anyone on the state's sex offender registry. Koch is listed there because of a 2007 conviction for sexual assault of a child.

According to the suit, Hartland officials decided a few years ago that too many sex offenders — 32 — already lived there, a "saturation level" 6.75 times higher than other Waukesha County communities.

The ordinance thus declared a moratorium on any more offenders moving to Hartland until the saturation level more closely matches that of Waukesha County overall.

Koch's lawsuit seeks to represent the class of any registered sex offenders who want to move to Hartland. It says the ordinance violated the ex post facto clause "because it makes more burdensome the punishment imposed for offenses committed before enactment of the ordinance," because it applies retroactively to people, like Koch, who are designated offenders because of crimes committed before Hartland passed its ordinance.

The suit asks the court to declare the ordinance unconstitutional, stop village officials from enforcing it, and grant unspecified damages to Koch.

Koch's attorneys, Chicago civil rights lawyers Mark Weinberg and Adele Nicholas, have challenged similar restrictions on sex offenders inother Wisconsin municipalities, like Oak Creek and Muskego, and other states.

"So many of these restrictions are so harsh, arbitrary and capricious that they're constitutionally infirm," Weinberg said. 

For years, local communities have struggled with the presence of sex offenders on supervised release. As some areas passed laws prohibiting them from within a certain distance of schools and other places children might gather, state officials had to find homes for them in other towns, which then passed their own limits, and on and on until there are few possibilities left.

Eventually, the state imposed a new rule that put the onus on counties to find suitable residences for the offenders on supervised release.

But that applied only to so-called violent sex offenders, those being released from civil commitment under Wisconsin's Chapter 980. That law allows indefinite confinement and treatment for certain sex offenders after they complete criminal sentences. 

The local restrictions still make it difficult for ordinary sex offenders to live while on supervised release.

Koch served seven years in prison for his conviction but is slated to remain on community supervision until 2034. In December, he found a room for rent in a ranch house on Merton Avenue in Hartland, and a landlord who agreed to rent to someone on the sex offender registry.

But earlier this month, according to his suit, Koch got an email from Hartland's police chief informing him the moratorium was still in effect.

Chief Torin Misko did not immediately return a message seeking the current sex offender count in the village.

Village AttorneyHector de la Mora noted that Koch never approached the village about appealing or being granted an exception, as the ordinance provides.

He also said the very fact Hartland had the highest per-capital population of sex offenders among Waukesha County communities indicated that village officials believed that people have a right to live where they choose, and it was only when the concentration became so great that it adopted the ordinance.

Weinberg said the chance to seek an exception from the village, at officials' discretion, doesn't change the validity of Koch's constitutional challenge.

Republican California State Senator Brian Jones is trying to prevent Registrants from being placed in his community

Pete Wilson was one of the worst governors in CA history, so I'm not sure following his bad example is a good look for the state. 

https://www.kusi.com/state-senator-jones-calls-to-halt-proposed-placements-of-svps-in-east-county/

State Senator Jones calls to halt proposed placements of SVPs in East County

Posted: April 16, 2021  KUSI Newsroom

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Sen. Brian Jones said Friday he has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to halt the potential placements of two convicted sex offenders in an East County home.

The placements in question are the proposed conditional releases of Douglas Badger and Merle Wakefield, both of whom the Department of State Hospitals has recommended be housed in a supervised home on Horizon Hills Drive in the Mt. Helix neighborhood.

Badger, 78, was convicted of sexual assaults dating back to the 1970s, mostly victimizing male hitchhikers, while Wakefield, 64, was convicted of sexual assaults dating back to the 1980s, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.

Both men are classified as sexually violent predators, a designation for those convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them likely to re-offend.

After serving their prison sentences, sexually violent predators may undergo treatment at state hospitals, but may also petition courts to continue treatment in supervised outpatient locations. Both men’s requests for conditional release have been granted by judges.

Badger has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday regarding his potential placement, while Wakefield’s hearing is scheduled for next month. Both hearings are public and will be conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jones said he sent two letters this month to Department of State Hospitals Director Stephanie Clendenin after constituents expressed concerns regarding the proposed placements.

In a statement, Jones cited two instances in which former Govs. Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian overruled state authorities to order convicted rapists to serve the remainders of their parole in trailers on the grounds of state prisons.

“Neither Douglas Badger or Merle Wakefield are suitable to be released from secure state facilities, let alone dumping them in a residential neighborhood in Mt. Helix,” said Jones, R-Santee.

“Both are dangerous sexually violent predators who have repeatedly targeted and attacked children. Rather than renting a spacious home to serve as a boarding house for these people, Governor Newsom ought to follow the lead of former Govs. Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian. Both of these governors got creative and ordered that dangerous parolees be housed in trailers at state correctional facilities.”

C'mon man! President Joe Biden erroneously claims "the average rapist rapes about six times"

It is not secret that I'm not a conservative snowflake. I revel in featuring many conservatives here. Unlike many people, I also realize that there is a difference between political alignment and party affiliation. A person runs on the Democrat ticket is not automatically a liberal. Job Biden is a Democrat but politically as conservative as any Republican save an extremist like Trump. 

Joe Biden may not have invented the registry, but he was instrumental in making it federal law. It certainly does not help when he makes idiotic statements like this one. As usual, we find politicians willing to use junk "science" to promote an agenda. I thought we were through with that trick when Trump was ousted, but apparently not. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/12/bidens-claim-that-average-rapist-rapes-about-six-times/

Biden’s claim that the ‘average rapist rapes about six times’

Glenn Kessler

April 12, 2021 at 7:00 a.m. UTC

“The average rapist rapes about six times.”

— President Biden, in remarks during the weekly economic briefing, April 9

During an economic briefing, the president touted his budget proposal, highlighting additional funding for programs funded by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 — a bill Biden had shepherded to passage as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In particular, he highlighted a push to provide additional funds to end a backlog in rape kits.

Then he mentioned this statistic — and stepped into a hornet’s nest of fierce debate among specialists on sexual assault.

This is one of those easy-to-remember statistics that emerge out of academic research. But whether it is accurate is another question.

The Facts

The White House did not respond to a request for a source for Biden’s comment. But Biden most probably was referring to a 2002 study, “Repeat Rape and Multiple Offending Among Undetected Rapists,” principally by David Lisak, then at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. (Lisak is vice chairman of 1in6, a group that helps men who have had abusive sexual experiences.)

The report said it drew on four samples of a total of 1,882 men between the ages of 18 and 71, who answered questionnaires, in exchange for a small payment, after they encountered researchers while walking across a college campus between 1991 and 1998. The researchers found 120 men “whose self-reported acts met legal definitions of rape or attempted rape, but who were never prosecuted by criminal justice authorities.” Of these men, 76 were identified as “repeat rapists” based on their survey responses. “These repeat rapists each committed an average of six rapes and/or attempted rapes and an average of 14 interpersonally violent acts,” the report said.

While Biden spoke generally about all rapists, the report purported to be about college rapists (though it is not known if all of the men surveyed were actually college students, and the average age of the respondents was 26.5 years old). Note also that the statistic is for both rapes and attempted rapes, not just rapes.

The statistic is still in circulation, even though it is based on data as much as 30 years old, but it has been controversial. Lisak and his research methods have been under attack for many years.

Linda LeFauve, associate vice president for planning and institutional research at Davidson College in North Carolina, has written at length about what she views as the flaws in Lisak’s paper. She has charged he pooled data from surveys of uncertain provenance, the participants were not necessarily college students and it’s unclear how many people were subject to follow-up interviews.

“There is no research to confirm the Lisak statistic, studies that dispute it, and more than sufficient evidence that Lisak has been perpetrating a fraud,” LeFauve said. Nevertheless, she said, his research was embraced during the Obama administration when the White House organized a task force on campus sexual assault. And she said — even though she voted for both Barack Obama and Biden — she was dismayed to see it resurrected under Biden.

Mary P. Koss, a regents’ professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, noted that she testified before Biden’s committee when the Violence Against Women Act was under consideration. “I am very saddened that advisers to the president have misinformed him,” she said. “The figure he uses is actually not able to be fact-checked because it provides an ‘average,’ which would most appropriately come from a national sample that doesn’t exist in the scientific literature.”

As for college students, she said she published the only national study of rape perpetration by college students — a survey of more than 6,000 students published in 1988 — and “the average number of rapes by men who self-disclosed acts that met a legal definition of rape was 2.6.”

In 2015, Koss contributed to a report published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics that was a direct assault on Lisak’s research. “Though a small group of men perpetrated rape across multiple college years, they constituted a significant minority of those who committed college rape and did not compose the group at highest risk of perpetrating rape when entering college,” the study said.

The study, whose lead author was Kevin Swartout of Georgia State University, “was highly contested, re-peer-reviewed three times by JAMA at Lisak’s complaints, was deemed sound and never withdrawn,” Koss said. “Lisak’s critique of the study was also peer-reviewed and rejected for publication. This paper is scientifically complex but at highest levels of peer review discredits Lisak’s empirical work and the claims he extrapolates from it.”

Lisak, in an exchange of emails with The Fact Checker, dismissed the 2015 JAMA study: “Those researchers brought the number of serial offenders in their study down by redefining serial offending so that many subjects who had multiple victims were no longer counted as serial offenders.”

Lisak denied he submitted a critique of the JAMA study. (Koss says she saw his comments but conceded that perhaps he did not formally submit them because it was “a losing battle.”) Lisak provided a 2017 report, written by Jim Hopper, one of his former students, and posted on Hopper’s website. Hopper said he adjusted the JAMA data set to the definitions used in Lisak’s 2002 report, coming up with similar results. “Research suggests that about two‐thirds of college rapists are repeat offenders, who account for the great majority of rapes (over 90%), and about one‐fourth of college rapists admit to committing rapes over multiple years of college,” Hopper wrote.

“The Internet is not a valid source of peer-reviewed information,” Koss said. “He has his self-serving opinion, but JAMA did not support it.”

Lisak also pointed to two subsequent studies that he said reported numbers close to his, one from 2009 (6.5 rapes per serial rapist among Navy recruits) and one from 2019 (five rapes per serial rapist among college students).

“Reports of Rape Reperpetration by Newly Enlisted Male Navy Personnel.” (2009). This study surveyed 1,146 enlisted male Navy personnel and found that 13 percent (144) engaged in actions that met the definition of attempted or completed rape. Of them, 71 percent engaged in more than one attempt, with an average rate of almost 6.5 incidents. This is clearly a study of serial rapists, not necessarily “average” rapists.

“Is Campus Rape Primarily a Serial or One-Time Problem? Evidence From a Multicampus Study.” (2019). This study relied on data from the Core Alcohol and Other Drug Survey of 12,624 college men at 49 community and four-year colleges and concluded that serial rapists were the cause of most campus rapes. The lead author, John D. Foubert of Union University, acknowledged that the survey (in question 21) does not actually ask about rape but offers a vaguer question — whether the person had “taken advantage of another sexually” because of alcohol or drug use. “You are right to question the item we used, though. It is the major limitation of our study,” he told The Fact Checker. “In my view, it would be better called ‘sexual assault’ than rape.”

“As a researcher, I see many limitations to these studies,” Lisak said. “However, given the research we have, it is clear that 1) serial sex offending is an extremely important issue; 2) the available data tells us that serial offenders account for the majority of sex offenses being committed (which is also true of drug dealers, burglars, bank robbers, etc.).”

Lisak summed up: “Six is as good a number to cite as any, and probably better than most.”

“At present, I don’t know of other research that would confirm the finding,” said Foubert, who is dean of the College of Education at Union. “I will say that in my experience as a college administrator, anecdotally, it did seem to me that offenders were often multiple offenders.” He added: “I’m thankful that President Biden is at least citing a study that is peer-reviewed. Many politicians don’t understand the difference between a peer-reviewed study and a Cosmo article.”

New research may further undermine this statistic. Swartout said he had recently completed a national survey of 697 male four-year college graduates based on their sexually violent behavior while in college. “I found that the average college man who commits rape assaults 1.48 victims. To help contextualize this a little more, 81.7 percent of the men in the study who reported committing rape reported assaulting one victim,” he said. “Overall, 10.2 percent of the overall sample reported perpetrating rape while they were an undergraduate student.” He said the study was being finalized for peer review and would be submitted to JAMA Pediatrics.

Koss said Biden should withdraw his statement. “The president’s statement, sadly, should be corrected to advise policymakers on the basis of sound scientific evidence,” she said.

LeFauve said these sorts of statistics are appealing because they fit neatly in existing narratives. “No one wants to be on the side of the bad guys,” she said. “And the minute you question rape statistics — the misleading claims about false reports is its own rabbit hole — you’re on the wrong side.”

The Pinocchio Test

Sexual assault of women is an important issue, and Biden has long been a leader in pressing for laws to combat it. But now that Biden has the presidential megaphone, he has a responsibility to use statistics that are widely accepted and not controversial.

Perhaps he remembered this statistic from the Obama administration’s work on campus sexual assault, but that was some time ago. Even then, Lisak’s findings were under fire from other academicians.

The Lisak paper was published almost two decades ago and primarily focused on campus sexual assault, not the “average rapist,” as Biden put it. Moreover, the statistics come from a relatively small sample of men who were randomly self-selected as they walked across a college campus. It was not based on a nationwide sample.

Obviously, The Fact Checker cannot litigate the debate between Lisak and his critics. But the White House should be aware of the dispute and be more cautious about validating a statistic that may or may not be correct. Otherwise, Biden may be perpetuating misinformation.

Ordinarily, given the academic dispute, we’d consider this a Two-Pinocchio claim. But because the president turned a study about campus rape into a statistic about the average rapist, he earns Three Pinocchios.

The arrest of Offendex extortionist Charles "Chuck" Rodrick is an event over a half-decade in the making

For nearly a decade, Charles "Chuck" Rodrick lived high off the hog by using the registry to extort victims out of millions. But his time is finally up. 

Look at those soulless eyes and that unkempt appearance. This isn't Rodrick's first rodeo. In fact, Rodrick and his cohort Oesterblad were busted for fraud back in the 1990s.

This arrest should have happened as far back as 2011. I'm not sure what finally prompted the FBI to finally lock this loser up. He has spent years avoiding the law while continuing his campaign of online terror, and soon he'll be more permanently in a familiar location.  Courtkey.com, formerly owned by Sucky Chucky, now owned by one of his victims, has full coverage of the Rodrick arrest. 

https://apnews.com/article/us-news-arizona-phoenix-ebb4b491d744316e6faa403b9d3697ac

Arizona man charged in scheme targeting sex offenders

By JACQUES BILLEAUD

4/8/21

PHOENIX (AP) — Three people have been charged with fraud in Arizona in what prosecutors say was a harassment scheme to get payments from sex offenders in exchange for removing their names from a website.

In an indictment released Thursday, Charles Rodrick of Scottsdale and Brent Oesterblad are accused of obtaining information from the National Predator Database’s site and posting it on a site created by Rodrick.

Prosecutors say Rodrick, Oesterblad and Sarah Shea then received money for removing the names from Rodrick’s site but failed to do so or republished the victims’ profiles on other sites owned by Rodrick. They also said the trio harassed others whose names weren’t listed in the National Predator Database by posting fraudulent sex offender profiles on Rodrick’s websites.

Rodrick, 60, was taken into custody Tuesday at Sky Harbor International Airport as he was returning from Costa Rica.

At Rodrick’s first court hearing, prosecutor Nicole Shaker said Rodrick has a separate $3 million civil judgment against him in Maricopa County for the victims in the criminal case, yet he hasn’t paid them anything. Shaker said Rodrick uses limited liability corporations and girlfriends to hide his assets.

At the hearing, Rodrick said the FBI had tried to build a federal case against him several years ago, but the case was turned down by a federal grand jury. “For this to surface now in 2021 is a shock to me,” Rodrick said.

Shaker disputed that the current case went before a federal grand jury.

Bond was set at $30,000 for Rodrick, who also was ordered to wear an ankle monitor when outside of jail.

Messages left Thursday for Rodrick’s attorney, Kristopher Califano, weren’t immediately returned.

It’s unclear whether Oesterblad and Shea have attorneys who can comment on their clients’ behalf.

Although Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office released the indictment, the court file itself wasn’t publicly available at midday Thursday. Oesterblad and Shea didn’t have listed phone numbers.

Disgraced former FloriDUH State Senator Frank Artiles is arrested for voter fraud

Disgraced former FL State Senator Frank Artiles sponsored the bill in 2014 that made changes to the FL Statutes to make the drivers license marks that say "Sexual Predator" them (the law existed before then but the statute number was listed, not the phrase). From Frank Artiles's own website, he made it a point to be a part of the 2014 "scorched earth policy", adding, "It is a top priority of the Florida House to make Florida the most unfriendly state in the nation for sexually violent predators." So I don't feel bad at all that this piece of crap was busted for election fraud. 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article250026354.html

Former Florida state Sen. Frank Artiles is finally getting his due: criminal charges | Opinion

BY FABIOLA SANTIAGO

MARCH 19, 2021 06:00 AM, 

Confirmed: There was voter fraud in Florida in the 2020 election after all.

And the alleged perpetrator, foul-mouthed Frank Artiles, is getting his due.

The disgraced former Florida lawmaker and GOP operative is charged with making a mockery of democracy: rigging a 2020 state Senate race in Miami-Dade by planting and paying $44,708 to a bogus, no-party candidate with a similar name to the Democratic incumbent.

His masterful strategy to win for the GOP — now the stuff of riveting search and arrest warrants — was to siphon off votes from the Democrat.

Who needs to rack up endorsements, debate the issues and highlight experience, when all you have to do is hire a guy who lives in Boca Raton with the last name of Rodríguez?

Two Cuban-American Rodríguezes against a Cuban-American García amounts to perfectly executed confusion for the largely Hispanic and Anglo voters of Miami, Coral Gables and Pinecrest.

The Senate 37 race between Democratic Sen. José Javier Rodríguez and his newcomer Republican opponent, Ileana García, founder of Latinas for Trump, was decided in her favor after a three-day recount — and by only 32 votes.

The shill candidate drew 6,382 votes.

García’s win was one of the upsets that expanded the majority Republican dominance of the Florida Legislature. García is there right now casting votes and shaping policy along predictable party lines — and we may never know if that was truly the voters’ will.

We do know Artiles’ intention — he even bragged about the candidate plant — and we know who benefited from his dark money criminal enterprise: the Republicans.

Like in a movie, he allegedly paid Alexis (Alex) Rodríguez for the dirty deed by repeatedly raiding his Palmetto Bay home safe, grabbing stacks of cash — from $3,000 to $5,000 — so rewarding a nondescript auto parts dealer he didn’t think anyone would bother to track down.

Idiot that he has always been underneath the bravado, Artiles didn’t think the money and paper trail would lead to him — or that three reporters, the Miami Herald’s Samantha Gross and Ana Ceballos, and WPLG TV’s Glenna Milberg, would tirelessly pursue the truth.

Or, that the cheating Alex Rodríguez would talk.

Or, for that matter, that the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Task Force would investigate and pursue the case.

His home raided by law enforcement, Artiles now faces several felony campaign-finance charges and additional ones for false swearing in connection with voting or elections.

May he languish in prison for it, although that remains to be seen, given Miami-Dade’s prosecutors’ poor record for putting corrupt politicians behind bars, where they belong.

But for now, it’s democracy-affirming to see the law catch up to his shenanigans.

ARTILES’ BULLY BEHAVIOR

The ex-Miami state representative for District 118 and senator has been a slimy politician his entire career — with the support of his colleagues and his party, it’s worth noting.

He broke the law in 2010 when he ran for office in District 119, which spanned from Sweetwater to Homestead before redistricting, where he didn’t live. When caught by Political Cortadito blogger Elaine de Valle at his Palmetto Bay house wearing gym pants and socks at 9:45 p.m. on a Monday night, he claimed ignorance.

In 2016, post redistricting, he won his Senate seat using ethnic-baiting tactics in a heavily Hispanic district. He told voters that his African American contender, Dwight Bullard, supported “a terrorist organization.” It was Black Lives Matter. Shameful.

In the Senate, he bullied Senate colleagues. He bullied the Miami Dade College president.

He hurled racist and misogynist rants at an African-American senator in front of colleagues gathered at a Tallahassee bar in 2017.

He called Senate President Joe Negron a “p---y” and the senators in the GOP caucus that elected him “n---as.” He called Sen. Audrey Gibson, an African-American Democrat from Jacksonville, sitting across the table from him at the Governor’s Club, a “b---h” and a “girl.”

Trying to escape Senate censure, he made things worse with an insincere apology that blamed his lack of basic human decency on growing up in Hialeah. He was eventually forced to resign in disgrace, although not by his Cuban-American colleagues, who did all they could to torpedo Senate censure.

Nothing much was lost.

A homophobe, he had been peddling a potty bill that would have made it illegal for transgender people to use a public bathroom that doesn’t correspond to their biological gender designation at birth.

Here’s hoping he liked the bathrooms at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he was booked Thursday morning and spent about nine hours before posting a $5,000 bond.

But what about the voters?

A rigged election shouldn’t be allowed to stand, but a special election can’t be called unless García is implicated, too, and so far, she hasn’t been.

For now, voters can only hope to savor the kind of justice served by the prospect of a five-year prison term for a bad actor who has long-earned banishment.

Bully, racist, misogynist, gay-hater — and hopefully soon, convicted felon, Frank Artiles is getting what he deserves.

Adam Heberts of Fox 13 Salt Lake City goes out of his way to disrupt the life of a Registered Person

Admittedly, I get mixed feelings whenever I read a story of someone forced to register volunteering at a school or working for a child oriented business. I understand people make wild assumptions about people on the registry. However, how can we dispel the myth that every registrant is an ever-present danger to children if we don't try to do the same things every other America citizen would do?

Here, we see yet another reporter taking not just to ensure a Registered Person is banned from volunteer work, he's also trying to disrupt the Registrant's life by looking into getting him arrested. 

He certainly has that Shiitake award-winning face to boot-- he looks like what you'd get if you replaced the smile on the poop emoji with the face from the smug emoji. 

😏 + 💩 = Adam Heberts. 

https://www.fox13now.com/news/fox-13-investigates/fox-13-investigates-registered-sex-offender-allowed-on-campus

FOX 13 Investigates: Registered sex offender allowed on campus

Both the sex offender and teacher who allowed him on campus face separate investigations

By: Adam Herbets

Posted at 11:08 PM, Mar 18, 2021 and last updated 12:21 PM, Mar 19, 2021

BOX ELDER COUNTY. UTAH — The FOX 13 Investigates team is trying to determine how a registered sex offender was allowed to volunteer on a high school campus in Box Elder County for weeks.

**** used to be an officer with the Tremonton Police Department, until he was convicted on multiple sex crimes against a high-school aged girl in 2014...

*** served less than nine months behind bars. He has since attempted to live a normal life while on the registry.

Because his daughter is in the theater program at Bear River High School, *** decided to volunteer to build props for the school play.

Parents and students were not notified that there would be a registered sex offender allowed on campus.

“I became aware of this story when the school play program was printed online and ***’s name was printed in bold letters and realized that *** was the registered sex offender in town,” said a mother, who asked to remain anonymous. “It was a really big story. I mean, everyone in town knew who he was.”

The anonymous mother said she was especially concerned because of the nature of ***'s previous crimes. She filed multiple complaints with the principal and superintendent.

“It’s common understanding that registered sex offenders are not allowed around children,” she said. “(The victim was) the age of the students that he was working with at the high school… Unfortunately, *** was still allowed to stay on campus through the duration of the play (despite my complaints).”

Within hours of receiving a phone call from FOX 13, the Box Elder School District informed *** he would no longer be allowed to volunteer on campus.

Superintendent Steve Carlsen declined to specify the reason why *** was barred from campus.

“If we decide we don’t need you here as a volunteer, we just don’t have to accept you here as a volunteer,” Carlsen said. “We can turn down any volunteer that we want.”

“I think their hand was probably forced by this news story,” the anonymous mother said. “I was sending emails, and they weren’t taking action, but when the news story started to happen? They took action... The children’s safety should have made them take action. I think they were more concerned about saving face in the end.”

After speaking to FOX 13 briefly on the phone, Carlsen scheduled an interview to address the situation.

Carlsen did not show up for the appointment. He refused to reschedule.

“He’s had to run out to some schools,” his secretary said. “When something comes up he has to go take care of it.”

“He’s not available today?” asked FOX 13 investigative reporter Adam Herbets.

“He’s not,” the secretary responded.

“When is he done visiting schools?” Herbets asked.

“He wasn’t sure,” the secretary said. 

“Would tomorrow work better?” Herbets asked.

“He won’t be in the office tomorrow,” the secretary said.

“Today’s Thursday,” Herbets said. “What about Monday?”

“You would have to check with him,” the secretary said.

“We can meet him at the school, if that’s easier for him?” Herbets asked.

“No,” the secretary responded.

Students expressed concern when they found out about the sex offender's presence on campus from FOX 13 rather than from their own school.

“It’s just weird. I mean, it shouldn’t have been allowed,” said a high school senior who asked to not be identified. “You don’t want that around. This is a high school, and the whole (hidden) camera thing especially? You don’t know what he’s up to… I know a few of the girls that are in the plays that I’d be worried for. That’s not okay.”

“Did the people in the play not know about it?” asked sophomore Paige Cutler. “Did they tell anyone?”

In an exclusive interview with FOX 13, Rose said drama teacher Derek Sorensen was aware of his status on the sex offender registry.

*** identified Sorensen as a “family friend.”

Although the Box Elder School District declined to comment on whether registered sex offenders are allowed on campus, Sorensen defended Rose to parents.

“From a legal standpoint, he is complying with everything that is asked of him,” Sorensen wrote in an email to a concerned parent. “That may make people uncomfortable, but legally he is well within his boundaries and we have made sure that no child is ever put in a situation where it's deemed a risk."

Sorensen then offered to move the student.

“Which I felt was horrendous,” an anonymous mother said. “I felt like the proper response would have been to remove the registered sex offender from the situation… (Sorensen) didn’t ask the principal if it would be okay. He didn’t ask the superintendent if it would be okay. He just took the word of *** that it would be okay for him to come on campus and be around students.”

FOX 13 has obtained an email from principal AJ Gilmore in which the principal confirms he “did not know that (***) has been here.”

Requests for records from the Box Elder School District were declined due to an active investigation into Sorensen’s conduct.

Carlsen has not answered whether Sorensen is on administrative leave.

“If there needs to be discipline taken, we’ll take it,” Carlsen said.

“I think (Sorensen) should probably lose his job. I don’t believe in cancel culture in any way, but I think such an egregious action deserves a harsh punishment,” an anonymous mother said. “He didn’t go through the proper channels to have a volunteer at the school, and I feel like it shows extremely poor judgment.”

Students stopped short of saying Sorensen should be terminated, but they felt changes needed to be made.

“I feel like that’s something me as a student, if I’m going to be around them, I feel like I would deserve to know for my safety,” Cutler said. “That reflects badly on our school too. It also looks bad on our faculty and our principal and our district, but if they didn’t know about it, that’s not something they can control.”

Sorensen has not returned requests for comment from FOX 13.

In an exclusive interview with FOX 13, *** defended Sorensen and his own presence on campus.

“What process did you go through to see whether you had permission to be on campus?” asked FOX 13 investigative reporter Adam Herbets.

“None,” *** responded. “I didn’t get permission from anybody… I did what I would think any father would have done when he’s asked to help by his kids.”

*** said one of the reasons he felt a “responsibility” to volunteer for the school play was for his daughter’s safety. She was an actress in the play who climbed a fake tree on set. Rose said he wanted to make the tree safer.

“But somebody else could fix the tree, right?” Herbets asked.

“There’s a lot to that tree,” *** responded. “Maybe somebody else could have done it.”

According to state law, a sex offender may not be in a “protected area,” such as a school, except “when the sex offender must be in a protected area to perform the sex offender’s parental responsibilities.”

“It’s really vague on how the law is written, so you kind of have to make a decision as to what your ‘responsibility’ is as a parent,” *** said. “Who decides what your responsibility as a parent is? For me, it’s me and my wife and my kids… Do you want somebody else deciding what your responsibility as a parent is?”

*** said he has constructed items for the theater department in the past, but this is the first time he was on campus, because the props on stage were too big to move back to his shop.

“I was around very few students,” *** said. “They’re the tech - it’s the tech side of drama - and there’s only like ten of them. They’re the ones that go in on Saturdays to build the props and stuff.”

*** said he kept his interactions with other students “very very minimal” in order to prevent concerned parents from “causing trouble.”

“I sorted it out with Derek (Sorensen) that I would go late at night when nobody was actually at the school,” *** said. “I don’t want to spend time with kids. I’m sure they’re great kids. I really don’t want to spend time with them.”

“Do you think (parents or students) should have been notified?” Herbets asked.

“No. I think that, as long as I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, it’s the equivalent of — do I need to go to Walmart and get on the PA and tell everyone at Walmart that I’m on the registry?” Rose asked.

“In their mind, this is different than going to Walmart,” Herbets responded. “These are minor children.”

“I can understand where they’re coming from. If they feel like they need to be notified, there’s just nothing that (requires me) to notify even Derek (Sorensen),” *** said. “I don’t have time to be doing other stuff.”

“Do you have time to be telling people your status on the registry?” Herbets asked.

“I guess. I mean, I like to think I don’t. I’m a pretty busy guy,” *** responded. “I can’t see the point in trying to make my family’s life more miserable.”

*** also insisted, each time he was on campus, he was supervised — usually by his wife or Sorensen.

“It’s not that I don’t care about other people’s children, and it’s not to sound selfish, but I do what I need to do to protect myself,” *** said.

In a text message sent to FOX 13, one mother said her child told her that’s not true.

“My student worked on the tech crew and had direct contact with ***,” the parent wrote. “When my husband and I asked our student if they had been in contact with *** while working on the set, they were so excited to tell us about how awesome his job was and that he got to do all these cool sets for commercials and movies.”

“I felt like someone punched me in the gut. None of those students would have had any second thought about talking to him or being approached by him outside of school. He helped them out and had cool stories to tell them about something they were all interested in. Grooming 101.”

“I do feel like he was unsupervised. My student said sometimes other adults would walk through the area, but it was not a consistent thing. I felt even with that that he had too much access to other areas of the school. Especially with his voyeurism history.”

*** insisted evidence will prove he was always supervised.

“Every second I was there, I was on (surveillance) camera,” *** said. “So if anyone ever tried to bring anything up? There you go.”

Although ***said he understands why sex offender restrictions are important, he went on to argue that registered sex offenders are often “some of the safest people out there” compared to strangers.

“I can guarantee you that those kids are safer with an honest person that is on the registry,” ****said. “They’re probably some of the safest people out there, just because they’re so concerned about covering themselves… the recidivism rate of people who have gone through (counseling) is very very low.”

“If there was somebody hanging out at the high school that had no kids there or no business being there, I would be right with you saying, ‘Why is this person here?’ because I get it.”

There have not been any students who have publicly accused *** of doing anything inappropriate while on campus.

Upon learning that Sorensen was under investigation by the Box Elder School District, *** defended the drama teacher’s character.

According to ***, Sorensen did nothing wrong.

“I’ll go to jail right now for him,” *** said. “He is actually probably one of the most vigilant people I’ve ever met… In a perfect world, I would hope that he would be praised for his willingness to accept people and accept that people can change.”

During the interview, *** listened to quotes read out loud from concerned students.

“I’m careful to respond and give an impression of what a high-school aged student would say,” *** said. “I respect that they’re — I don’t know that they’ve lived long enough. I mean, I’m sorry. If it, in any way, made anybody feel uncomfortable, it was never my intent, and I’m sorry.”

The Weber County Sheriff’s Office has opened a criminal investigation into ***'s conduct.

Investigators with the Tremonton Police Department forwarded the case due to ***'s previous employment.

“A lot of times they will ask somebody else to investigate the case, just because they don’t want to be accused of being too severe, or too harsh, or too lenient,” said Chief Nealy Adams of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators so far are declining to specify whether they believe *** was in fact fulfilling a “parental responsibility” on campus or simply violating sex offender restrictions.

“That is one of the parts of the investigation I can’t talk about,” Adams said. “It’s still an active investigation.”

Ultimately, it will be up to the Box Elder County Attorney’s Office whether to file criminal charges.

Parents declined to answer whether they would like to see *** back in jail.

“I don’t think that’s for me to say. I think the law will handle that,” an anonymous mother said. “He did horrendous things, but he is also a parent, so I can see him trying to be a parent… I would like to see that background checks are done on volunteers so we don’t have this problem in the future.”

*** said he has interviewed with investigators and left feeling confident that he will not be charged with a crime.

“I can’t say that I sit and worry about it, because I really feel like the right people are going to do the right things,” *** said. “I relive my offense every day. It’s something I regret every day… I’m not that guy anymore, and I get, you know, it’s hard to prove that, but I’m not that guy any more.”

The Box Elder School District confirmed it is reviewing its policies and training procedures surrounding volunteers on campus.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell claims bill lowering strict residency restrictions is "pro-sex offender, anti-victim, anti-police"

 Dear Sheriff Jacckass, 

You have done absolutely NO research on this subject, Sheriff.  Residency restriction laws DO NOT WORK. People like to pretend they do because cops like you, the media, and lawmakers have spread Predator Panic for decades.

https://khqa.com/news/state/illinois-bill-would-allow-child-sex-offenders-to-live-closer-to-schools

Illinois bill would allow sex offenders to live closer to schools

by Matt Roy

Monday, March 15th 2021

"The closer you bring a sex offender to these vulnerable targets, the more likely they are going to offend,” Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said.

PRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — A new bill going through the Illinois House would change sex offender laws and allow them to live closer to schools, day cares, and playgrounds.

Currently, sex offenders have to live a minimum of 500 feet away from places like these. Those in favor of the bill say this would help support and rehabilitate sex offenders.

However, law enforcement officials and many people on Facebook think the whole idea is idiotic.

House Bill 3913 would make it so sex offenders could live 250 feet away from playgrounds, schools, and day cares, instead of 500.

"The closer you bring a sex offender to these vulnerable targets, the more likely they are going to offend,” Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said.

Campbell said this is a pro-sex offender, anti-victim, anti-police bill.

"Overall, the bill would make our communities less safe,” Campbell said.

However, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) Policy Manager Madeleine Behr said these residency restrictions on sex offenders are causing higher rates of poverty and homelessness, and thus, they would be more likely to re-offend.

"The goal is to open up more housing for folks,” Behr said. “We know that poverty, housing issues, other things are more likely to lead to crime. So, by reducing that is really helpful."

Campbell said the ramifications would be that the move would cause more temptation to re-offend.

"We will not support this and law enforcement will fight it tooth and nail because it appears to be another anti-victim, anti-police bill that one of our misguided legislators is trying to push through," Campbell said.

Behr said this is a huge problem in the highly populated Chicago area, and not so much downstate.

But, she said in order for this to change, Illinois law has to change, and that will affect the entire state.

The introduction of this bill comes just two months after the massive criminal justice reform package.

HB 3913 is still in its beginning stages and has yet to be heard in committee.

Chicago 400, another advocacy group, has a plethora of information on their cause and the group on their website.

They provided what the bill does and why and a fact sheet from their perspective.

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick also spoke out against the bill in a Facebook post.

Small town of Genoa, Nebraska (population 1000) overreacts to Registered Person moving in with "school lock out"

The small town of Genoa overreacts to registrant moving into the community, and it is likely that not only was the overreaction uncalled for, then it may have been against the law. 

Nebraska Statutes 29-4017.

Political subdivision restrictions on sex offender residency; requirements.

(1) A political subdivision may enact an ordinance, resolution, or other legal restriction prescribing where sex offenders may reside only if the restrictions are limited to sexual predators, extend no more than five hundred feet from a school or child care facility, and meet the requirements of subsection (2) of this section.

(2) An ordinance, resolution, or other legal restriction enacted by a political subdivision shall not apply to a sexual predator who:

(a) Resides within a prison or a correctional or treatment facility operated by the state or a political subdivision;

(b) Established a residence before July 1, 2006, and has not moved from that residence; or

(c) Established a residence after July 1, 2006, and the school or child care facility triggering the restriction was established after the initial date of the sexual predator’s residence at that location.

(3) Any ordinance, resolution, or other legal restriction prescribing where sex offenders may reside which does not meet the requirements of this section is void, regardless of whether such ordinance, resolution, or legal restriction was adopted prior to, on, or after July 14, 2006.

There IS no statewide law, only the allowance of local ordinances, and as far as I know, only Omaha has such an ordinance in place. Genoa is not a suburb of Omaha. It isn’t even in the same county. It is a small town of about 1000.

So either the Nebraska State Patrol is flat out lying, ot they are ignorant. I can find no ordinances for Genoa or Nance County that addresses this at all. But even if it was true, the lockdown is the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day. 

ADDENDUM: Yesterday, a rep from Nebraskans Unafraid contacted the town of Genoa to inquire about the ordinance. They told her they’d have the ordinance copied and emailed to her by 10am, then they bcked off and said they can’t do it.

I did a sweep of Nebraska’s local ordinances and so far, I’ve checked 66 municipal codes, including the laegest (Omaha) and the smallest town being of only 400 people. Of the 66 ordinances, all but 18 of them have an ordinance in place.

Nearly all have the same wording, as if someone made a template law and the other downs copy-pasted it. Nearly all start with this:

“The Nebraska Legislature has found that certain sex offenders present a high risk to commit repeat offenses and has enabled municipalities to restrict such persons’ place of residency as provided in the Sexual Predator Residency Restriction Act.

Sex offenders who prey on children and who are high risks to repeat such acts present an extreme threat to public safety. The cost of sex offender victimization to these children and to society at large, while incalculable, is exorbitant.*

It is the intent of this ordinance to serve the Village’s compelling interest to promote, protect and improve the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Village by creating certain areas around locations where children regularly congregate in concentrated numbers where certain sexual predators cannot reside.”

There are a few things of interest to note:

1. Nearly all the existing ordinances were passed in 2005/2006, leading me to believe these ordinances were a reactionary response to Iowa’s 2005 restrictions, the 2000 foot laws that were so onerous, many fled Iowa to surrounding states (Nebraska borders Iowa to the west; Omaha, NE’s largest city, borders Iowa).

2. These ordinances were made to specifically target “Sexual Violent Predators”, but the state stopped making that determination in 2009.

I’m thinking that either the Genoa ordinance does not exist, or if it does, it may be using language that applies to nobody currently listed on the registry.

https://nebraska.tv/news/local/school-placed-in-lock-out-during-sex-offender-investigation

School placed in "lock out" during sex offender investigation

by KHGIWednesday, March 10th 2021

GENOA, Neb. — Twin River Public Schools was briefly placed in “lock out” Tuesday while the Nance County Sheriff’s Office measured the distance between the residence of a recently-registered sex offender and the school.

In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said 27-year-old George Kelly registered at the Nebraska State Patrol office in Norfolk and listed a Genoa address. NSP explained to Kelly that he could not live within 500 feet of a school or childcare facility per Nebraska statute.

Due to the proximity of the residence to the school, it was agreed upon to put the school in a "lock out" status, which kept students inside the building and kept outside visitors out of the building.

The Sheriff's Department measured the distance between the two properties and discovered that the distance was 237 feet, well within the 500 feet limit. Kelly agreed to immediately leave the property and register in another county. Kelly left, and the school returned to normal status.

Senator Ted Cruz uses "murders, rapists, and child molesters incarcerated in prison" in effort to stymie stimulus efforts

The unpopular Ted Cruz, still wishing he was in Mexico, decided what better way to try to win us back over was to try to mix "undocumented immigration" with "murders, rapists, and child molesters incarcerated in prison" to scare the masses. Cruz, of course, was called out on it. 

Just before Cruz introduced an amendment to the Stimulus Bill, the Senate struck down an amendment which would have banned incarcerated persons from receiving stimulus checks. Of course, he had two chances when Republicans were calling the shots to bring this up and did not. But he used this vote to segway into his anti-immigrant bill. Ted seems to have forgotten the stimulus check part of the bill is the SAME bill that has existed the last two times and undocumented immigrants were ineligible too. 

He was rightly called out for pandering. But since he decided to use Predator Panic to try to stymie the stimulus bill, Ted Cruz deserves a nomination. 

https://ktxs.com/news/local/both-texas-senators-voted-against-mislabeled-covid-relief-bill

(See the embedded video in the link above)

"Mr. President, moments ago in this chamber, the Democrats just voted to send $1400 stimulus checks to murderers, to rapists, and child molesters incarcerated in prison.... should $1400 go to illegal alien in America?"

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2021-03-23/html/CREC-2021-03-23-pt1-PgS1697.htm

"Mr. President, let's try one more time. The Democrats have objected to not sending checks to criminals in prison. The Democrats have objected to not sending checks to murderers in prison. The Democrats  have objected to not sending checks to rapists in prison. Let's try a group that I think may be the lowest of the low, which is child molesters. I spent a lot of years in law enforcement, and I think there is no more horrific offense than those who commit crimes of violence and sexual assault against kids. When I was solicitor general of Texas, the cases where people sexually abused kids I thought should be in Dante's Ninth Circle of Hell. So here is a chance for some bipartisan agreement. Can't we all agree that the Federal Government shouldn't send $1,400 checks to the child molesters in prison right now for molesting kids? And before the Senator from Oregon says, ``Who knows who the child molesters are,'' well, the Department of Justice and every State department of justice knows who the child molesters are in their prisons. Let's take the money that the Democrats want to send to child molesters, and let's take it from the child molesters and give it to the victims of crimes, the kids who have been molested. This is as simple a legislative choice as I can imagine. Mr. President, as in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent  that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 931, introduced earlier today. I further ask that the bill be considered  read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be  considered made and laid upon the table...

The Democrats decided, when they took control, they didn't want to do that. You want to know just how far out of touch and how radical today's Democratic Party is? We have seen the Democrats now say we will send taxpayer stimulus checks to millions of illegal immigrants. We have seen Democrats say we will send the taxpayer stimulus to criminals in prison. We have seen the Democrats say we will send the taxpayer stimulus checks to murderers in prison. We have seen them say we will send the checks to rapists in prison. And we now just saw them say we will send the checks to child molesters in prison. It should be the essence of common sense to say don't give this money to violent criminals; give it to victims of crime instead. In a sane world, that would be a hundred-to-nothing proposition. I challenge any one of you in the brightest of blue States: Go home and explain to your constituents that you refused to take the money from child molesters and give it to the victims of that crime. That is  the position of every Democrat in this Chamber because every single Democratic Senator was the deciding vote rejecting the amendment on the floor. It is unfortunate just how extreme the hard left is right now, but it is far out of touch with the American people, and it has long abandoned any semblance of common sense."

QAnon-inspired bill in Arizona would make come CP offenses a Life Without Parole

"Save our Children" is QAnon, so using the crackpot theory of QAnon as the basis for legislation is idiotic to say the least. Next thing you'll know, AZ will be passing laws limiting windmills because the noise causes cancer. 

https://www.azfamily.com/news/politics/arizona_politics/bill-imposing-strict-punishments-for-child-sex-offenders-passes-arizona-house/article_c3fde39c-7bdc-11eb-90e4-f3b9be3028df.html

Bill imposing strict punishments for child sex offenders passes Arizona House

KIARA HAY 

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - It's a bill that comes on the heels of the Save Our Children campaign and a hashtag that dominated much of social media last year. HB 2889 would create a no nonsense approach to child sex crimes in Arizona.

Right now, in Arizona, a convicted child sex offender can face anywhere from 10-20 years in prison, and some have the option of probation, parole or work release. HB 2889 gets rid of that.

Arizona prison

Right now, in Arizona, a convicted child sex offender can face anywhere from 10-20 years in prison, and some have the option of probation, parole or work release.

"You've ruined people's lives. There should be no getting out early for anything," says bill sponsor Rep. Leo Biasiucci, a Republican from Lake Havasu City.

Someone convicted of producing or distributing pornography of a child 12 years of age or younger would serve life without parole, as well as someone convicted of sex trafficking. An exception would be instances of statutory rape, where an 18 or 19-year-old has sex with someone under the age of consent.

If the bill becomes law, Rep. Biasiucci says Arizona will have some of the strictest sex offender laws in the country.

The bill passed the House 51-1 with the Rep. Pamela Powers Austin being the lone opposing lawmaker.

"Justice is not blind or color blind in the United States and so mandatory sentencing is a part of the problem. If we had a fairer justice system, then the population in prison would look more like the population of the country and that's not the case," said Rep. Austin.

In the next few weeks, the bill will go to the Senate.

Bridge over troubled Watters: Jesse Watters attempts to use Registered Persons as weapon against Biden stimulus plan

To say Fox News commentator Jesse Watters lets his mouth overload his ass is an understatement. He is a QAnon supporter , made racist segments attacking Chinese-Americans, and got in trouble for making a sexual remark about Ivanka Trump on-air. 

Let's get something clear. Registered Person-owned businesses should have the same rights as any other business. 

Registered Citizens with crimes against minors and certain pornography offenses are banned from

receiving Federal Small Business Loans thanks to the passage of H.R.5297, the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, 111th Congress (2009-2010), sponsored Rep. Barney Frank [D-MA-4]. It amended 12 U.S. Code, Sec. 5710, Oversight and audits, to add subsection (b)(2) which reads, “With respect to funds received by a participating State under the Program, any private entity that receives a loan, a loan guarantee, or other financial assistance using such funds after September 27, 2010, shall certify to the participating State that the principals of such entity have not been convicted of a sex offense against a minor (as such terms are defined in section 20911 of title 34).” Under subsection (c), “None of the funds made available under this chapter may be used to pay the salary of any individual engaged in activities related to the Program who has been officially disciplined for violations of subpart G of the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch for viewing, downloading, or exchanging pornography, including child pornography, on a Federal Government computer or while performing official Federal Government duties.” This needs to be overturned, BTW.

As far as country clubs getting PPP loansd, plenty of them got PPP loans last year. This guy obviously doesn't do his research. 

https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-host-claims-bidens-stimulus-plan-includes-ppp-loans-sex-offenders-1571178

Fox News Host Claims Biden's Stimulus Plan Includes 'PPP Loans for Sex Offenders'

BY DANIEL VILLARREAL ON 2/22/21 AT 9:38 PM EST

Fox News host Jesse Watters has said that the $1.9 trillion stimulus package proposed by President Joe Biden includes Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans "for sex offenders."

The Quote

Speaking on a Monday Fox News broadcast, alongside a panel that included former Trump Administration White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, Watters said:

"They have PPP loans for country clubs in here. Like, the squash courts and the putting greens are in such disrepair they needed an immediate injection of money? They have PPP loans in here for fraternities and sororities, Dana. Like, do you really think they're struggling right now? They have PPP loans in here for sex offenders. So you rape a child. 'Here! Here's a loan! Take it,'" he said...

Why it Matters

Watters comment comes at a time when the House is about to take up the $1.9 trillion bill. Democrats have touted the bill as necessary to revive the national economy hurt by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans, however, have generally opposed the package as too costly.

It's unclear what Watters meant when he referred to PPP loans for sex offenders. The full text of the bill contains no reference to sex offenders. It only mentions sexual assault and rape in reference to funding programs that help survivors of both.

While it's possible that Watters may be suggesting that businesses who employ former sex offenders or programs that rehabilitate them may be eligible for PPP loans, that too remains unclear.

Newsweek contacted Fox News for comment.

Later in the broadcast, Watters said the bill contains "the things [Democrats] say they hate most about government: the special interests, the lack of transparency, the pork." Pork is a disapproving term for taxpayer-funded government programs that only benefit a small group of people.

Fox News' criticism, as a right-leaning media outlet, is especially notable as the stimulus package may be passed without any Republican Senate support, using the budget reconciliation process. Republicans have denounced Democrats' plan to use the process as "partisan."

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is full of Schitt

This is typical Republican grandstanding on immigration issues. What better way to scare the public than linking immigration to Predator Panic? Operation Talon, like past FALCON raids and various compliance operations, are blatantly unconstitutional.

To make this report even sillier is the fact this alleged "Operation Talon" apparently was never in operation in the first place, and it was ICE, not Biden, that suspended the program before it ever got off the ground. 

https://mailchi.mp/8ad45240ebc6/missouri-attorney-general-schmitt-leads-letter-urging-the-biden-administration-to-arrest-and-remove-unlawful-immigrants-convicted-of-sex-crimes?e=2604bb1107

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today led a coalition of 18 states in urging President Biden, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Johnson, to reverse the Biden Administration’s last-minute cancellation of Operation Talon. Operation Talon is a nationwide ICE operation that focuses on removing illegally present convicted sex offenders from the United States.

“Today, I’m pleased to lead this coalition of 17 other states in urging President Biden to reverse the decision to cancel Operation Talon, which focuses on removing convicted sex offenders who are illegally in the United States. Broadcasting that sexual predators and traffickers are potentially immune from deportation or other legal action only worsens the crises of sexual assault and trafficking at the border and potentially in Missouri,” said Attorney General Schmitt. “In combating human trafficking in Missouri, we strive to send the message that our state is inhospitable to trafficking through our actions and initiatives - The United States needs to send the same message.”

The letter argues that canceling Operation Talon could embolden sexual predators who seek to enter the United States illegally and exacerbate issues of sexual assault and trafficking in the immigrant community.

The letter states, “According to data collected by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, during the period from October 2014 to May 2018, ICE arrested 19,752 illegal aliens with criminal convictions for whom the most serious prior conviction was a conviction for a sex-related offense.”

Protesting the cancellation of Operation Talon, the letter says, “The cancellation of this program effectively broadcasts to the world that the United States is now a sanctuary jurisdiction for sexual predators.  This message creates a perverse incentive for foreign sexual predators to seek to enter the United States illegally and assault more victims, both in the process of unlawful migration and after they arrive.  It will also broadcast the message to other criminal aliens who have committed less heinous offenses that any kind of robust enforcement against them is extremely unlikely.”

The letter also details how human trafficking and sexual assault are major issues in the immigrant and migrant communities, especially at the border. The letter, citing the Polaris Project, continues, “the overwhelming majority of victims of sex and/or labor trafficking in the United States were foreign nationals, not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.  For cases in which citizenship status was known, 77.5 percent of trafficking victims (4,601 out of 5,939) were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.”

The letter closes with, “We urge you to immediately reinstate Operation Talon, adopt an aggressive enforcement policy against illegal aliens convicted of sex crimes, and send a message to sexual predators that they are not welcome in the United States of America.”

The letter, led by Missouri Attorney General Schmitt, was also signed by the attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Marlee Minter spends entire week whipping the residents of Orangevale CA into Predator Panic

 

This hack reporter has engaged in a seres of articles designed to harass Registered Persons living in the town of Orangedale CA. First, she writes about a guy that allegedly "has an interest in cannibalism", then she writes a crap piece about Registrants living together in one home (see below) and follows up with, "OMG the registry info is wrong, sound the alarm." 

While shitty, scaremongering reporting is typical when news outlets want to gain viewership (i.e., "sweeps week"), any time a reporter goes out of its way to cause harm to Registered Persons for the sake of ratings, tit deserves a spot on our Shiitake Awards blog. 

https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/02/18/neighbors-sex-offenders-drywood-way/

‘Nobody Wants That Kind Of Crap’: Orangevale Neighbors Want To Know More About Who Really Lives Next Door

By Marlee GinterFebruary 18, 2021 at 6:45 am

ORANGEVALE (CBS13) — With a three-month-old baby on her hip and a four-year-old daughter always riding her bicycle in the neighborhood, Melanie Osterman wants to make sure she knows her neighbors.

Jason Scarcello is a convicted sex offender who authorities say has interests in cannibalism. Neighbors reached out to CBS13 after receiving an alert about Scarcello living on Drywood Way.

“Nobody wants that kind of crap in this neighborhood at all,” said Osterman.

After our original story aired, the homeowner told CBS13 Scarcello had applied to live there, but was denied. But the Federal Defender’s office confirms Scarcello did live there in November and moved out December 1.

“I don’t know if something’s not being updated. But something’s not right,” said Woodmore Oaks Neighborhood Watch president Tom DiGiacomo.

DiGiacomo sent the initial alert to neighbors but has since told them Scarcello isn’t there anymore. When you search the Drywood Way address, it doesn’t show any sex offenders living there. But after checking further, CBS13 discovered three convicted sex offenders listed at the address. One of them is listed with a score of 5, “above average risk to commit a new sexual offense,” according to the Megan’s Law website.

“I haven’t let her out front and that’s [expletive.] We pay for this house. We should be able to be free and feel safe and I don’t feel safe right now,” said Osterman.

“Right now I don’t know what to say. This house needs to be shut down,” said James Pruitt.

The homeowner’s attorney, who is an advocate for sex offenders, wouldn’t talk on camera but tells CBS13 the homeowner is giving individuals an opportunity to live their law-abiding lives.

“I don’t care what you think about non-violent. Everybody needs to know so they know how to handle their children. This is not right,” said Pruitt.

“That’s fine, second chances. People who want to make their lives better. But sex offenders and people that are sick and twisted in the head and want to do things to kids, no they chose their life, they don’t get a second chance living in a neighborhood with kids,” said Osterman.

The homeowner wouldn’t comment on camera. Sex offenders do have a right to a residence. They have to live somewhere.

Meantime, the Woodmore Oaks Neighborhood Watch is holding its monthly meeting online Thursday, February 18th at 7:00 p.m. hoping to get answers.

Dishonorable mention goes to the other Karen of this article, Melanie Osterman. 

Barney Bishop III has no business running the Florida Smart Justice Alliance, a statewide criminal justice reform advocacy group

What is the Florida Smart Justice Alliance? From their "About Us" page:

The Smart Justice Alliance’s goals are to:

• Make Florida’s communities safer;
• Save the taxpayers money; and
• Hold offenders accountable while providing the tools for them to live law-abiding lives

Any serious attempt to create meaningful change in Florida’s approach to criminal justice must be comprehensive and include all stakeholders.  Therefore, mission Number One for the Florida Smart Justice Alliance will be to forge consensus among the broad range of affected parties – including law enforcement, prosecutors and public defenders, the judiciary, state government, victim rights groups, service providers and the business community. Members of the Alliance are working to develop policies that:

• Minimize the extent to which children and the mentally ill are locked up;
• Incorporate assessment tools to effectively guide sentencing diversion alternatives and reentry; and
• Make greater system-wide use of evidenced-based programs that reduce costs and lower recidivism.

Based on the words of Barney Bishop, however (who is no stranger to the Shiitake Awards), the Florida Smart Justice Alliance needs to do a lot of soul searching. Barney Bishop, in a testimony to the Florida House Judiciary Committee on March 3, offered this gem of a comment regarding a proposed 50 year minimum sentence for sex offenses law in committee:

"We think that very long sentences are warranted; in fact, we'd like longer sentences. And I would just say in closing that with respect to smart justice that maybe what we ought to really be doing is thinking about giving the victims’ families an opportunity to have visitation with the perpetrators and a pair of scissors. That's our idea of smart justice, Mr. Chairman, not anything short of that."

(ADDENDUM: It seems Barney Bishop has a failing memory, so the offending statement can be found by CLICKING HERE and going to about one hour 51 minutes into the video. For the impatient types, the clip is below as well)

This is NOT the type of person running a criminal justice reform agency. He should resign immediately. Then again, his "Smart Justice Alliance" can't seem to keep staff around for long so it appears this "alliance" is an alliance of one. As noted by FAC, Barney Bishop is the lobbyist for The Wakulla County Sheriffs Department. Last year Wakulla County had to pay City Walk $160,000 to settle a lawsuit. Think Barney should have mentioned this in his opinion piece. Sketchy!

I'd gladly challenge Barney Bishop III on the issues in a face-to-face meeting. He can even bring a pair of scissors if he likes but he better keep them to himself. But since his cowardly response is to threaten me with a gun and arrest, like the cowardly thug that he truly is, I'll be content with showing him up for the fool he is. BTW, fuck the NRA, bragging about your membership just proves you're a kook. 

It is even funnier as Bishop got into it with black FL Rep Ramon Alexander by telling him the KKK and the Nazis have the right to free speech and if you don't like it, walk away. Oh, and Barney Bishop apparently thinks "smart justice" is having 6 year old kids arrested for bad behavior at school. 

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2021/02/18/tallahassee-homeless-issue-city-walk-shelter-needs-move/6771847002/

City Walk shelter violates zoning code and needs to move out of the neighborhood | Opinion

Barney Bishop III Your Turn

A recent column mentioning the shelter on Mahan Drive cites it as a “homeless” shelter.  It is also a “low barrier” shelter for sex offenders. It is to be expected that supporters of this facility would neglect to cite this fact and attempt to obscure the issue as a homeless issue.

While it was initially only to be used as a temporary cold night shelter, City Walk shelter was surreptitiously and illegally transformed into a permanent shelter that includes sex offenders.

It is across the street from Hilltop Academy and near public schools. This violates Florida law, common sense, and is highly inappropriate. Moreover, the neighbors were never notified of the change. In one article, Renee Miller, the executive director, claims they looked in the city code and did not find any restrictions that applied to them.

There is no need to check the city code if this shelter is temporary and only for cold nights. But there are restrictions if its usage is changed to a permanent location with sex offenders. So Ms. Miller knew exactly what she was doing from the beginning. For that alone, the permanent request for a zoning change should be rejected out-of-hand, if not for the other reason that you do not reward a purposeful violator of the city code. 

A low barrier sex offender shelter is defined as a facility that provides food, drink and a bed to sex offenders, but no treatment is provided whatsoever. They can come and go as they please. Consequently, women and children have every right to fear for their safety.

Ms. Miller knows full well, having been a shelter provider in other locations, that sex offenders must register every time they move. Her lack of oversight is unprofessional and dangerous. Sex offenders have strict statutory requirements and one newspaper story indicated one of the sex offenders was already on probation, which means they have already violated the law.

I have worked as a lobbyist for nonprofits that deal with issues of substance abuse/mental health, juvenile justice and adult corrections for 28 years now. My clients put facilities like this in industrial areas, where neighborhoods are not adversely impacted. Warehouses and such are not incompatible neighbors, and so long as there is a bus line nearby, the shelter occupants still have access to grocery stores, social services, etc. 

It is for these reasons that both Florida Smart Justice Alliance and Citizens for Responsible Spending oppose any attempt to keep the shelter on Mahan Drive — under any circumstances or restrictions — in its current location. We certainly oppose it being there as a permanent location.