JACKSON, Ga. (AP) – Three sex offenders in a Georgia county are suing the sheriff over signs warning families not to trick-or-treat at the offenders’ homes.
News outlets report the lawsuit filed in federal court asks Butts County Sheriff Gary Long to stop putting the signs in the yards of convicted sex offenders.
The lawsuit by Christopher Reed, Reginald Holden and Corey McClendon says some of the county’s sex offenders were told to either display the signs or face unspecified trouble. Long says a hearing is set for Thursday.
Long has said the signs comply with a state law that forbids sex offenders from participating in Halloween. Other counties including Spalding and Monroe have taken similar approaches. Last year, Monroe County Deputy Marilynn Fitts said sex offenders without signs would have to spend the night at the sheriff’s office.
(Meredith) – Deputies in Georgia have posted “no trick-or-treat” signs in the yards of registered sex offenders as an extra precaution to keep children safe this Halloween.
Butts County Sheriff Gary Long posted a photo of the sign to Facebook on Saturday and wrote that “there is nothing more important to me than the safety of our children.”
The signs include bold letters, stop sign graphics and a straight-forward message: “WARNING! NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!!”
Long told CBS News there are 54 registered sex offenders in Butts County, which is about 45 miles southeast of Atlanta.
Though he’s received mostly positive feedback from parents in the community, Long said some of the sex offenders emailed him saying the signs were an “embarrassment.”
“At the end of the day, I don’t care if they do like it or if they don’t like it. My job us to ensure the safety of the children and the community and that’s what I’m going to do,” Long told CBS News.
The sheriff wrote on Facebook that the signs were placed in accordance with Georgia Law O.C.G.A. 42-1-12-i(5).
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations website, the law states, “The sheriff’s office in each county shall: Inform the public of the presence of sexual offenders in each community.”
Georgia state law also prohibits sex offenders from decorating their property on Halloween.
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She said not all registered sex offenders are equal.
JACKSON, Ga. — Thousands of kids will hit the streets for trick or treating this week and law enforcement officers from around the state are sharing how they will alert neighbors to the registered sex offenders living next door.
Some sheriff’s offices put signs on doors, others do routine checks throughout the night to make sure registered offenders are following the law about not decorating or hosting trick-or-treating. In Butts County, Sheriff Gary Long said deputies in his county are putting ‘No Trick Or Treat’ yard signs in front of registered sex offenders homes in their county.
The warning feels like a target to some who live with registered sex offenders.
“There have been threats made. Hot heads saying just take a gun to their heads,” said one Butts County mom, who didn’t want to be identified.
Georgia state law prohibits registered sex offenders from placing Halloween decorations on their property. The signs have the universal “no” symbol over a trick or treat bag underneath the message “NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!!”
“That poster that is causing that hysteria is posted at my property and I have not done anything wrong,” she said.
The woman said her husband is on the sex offender registry list for a relationship he had with an underage woman when he was 20 years old.
“There’s so many levels,” she said. “There’s such a gray area…but yet they happen to be treated all the same.”
Vickie Henry, president of Women Against Registry, said the yard signs can lead to harassment.
“They are not the threat that people perceive them to be,” she said. “And those signs are just going to make things worse.”
There are more than 50 sex offenders in Butts County, according to Sheriff Long. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations’ website shows close to 31,500 registered sex offenders in the state.
The idea to put yard signs in front of registered sex offenders homes came after organizers decided not to have an annual trick-or-treating event.
“The big challenge that we face here in Butts County, for years and years and years and years they’ve always done Halloween on the square and on Halloween night we would have anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000 children,” the sheriff told 11Alive.
“There are some sex offenders that are not happy,” Long said. “But I’m not in the business of making them happy. I’m in the business of keeping safe communities and making sure that our children are protected.”
Georgia state law prohibits registered sex offenders from placing Halloween decorations on their property.
JACKSON, Ga. — Thousands of kids will hit the streets for trick or treat in just days.
In Butts County, Sheriff Gary Long said deputies in his county are putting preventative measures in place to keep kids safe. They have started placing ‘No Trick Or Treat’ yard signs in front of registered sex offenders homes in their county.
“This Halloween, my office has placed signs in front of every registered sex offender’s house to notify the public that it’s a house to avoid,” Long said in a Facebook post.
Georgia state law prohibits registered sex offenders from placing Halloween decorations on their property. The signs have the universal “no” symbol over a trick or treat bag underneath the message “NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!!”
“Georgia law is very, very clear,” he said. “It doesn’t say that the sheriff can or the sheriff may. It says the sheriff shall and it says that the sheriff shall in fact notify each community of the presence of sex offenders.”
The idea to put yard signs in front of registered sex offenders homes came after organizers decided not to have an annual trick-or-treating event.
“The big challenge that we face here in Butts County, for years and years and years and years they’ve always done Halloween on the square and on Halloween night we would have anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000 children,” he said.
With no central place to go, the sheriff said he knows more kids will be going door-to-door to trick-or-treat. Instead of putting signs on offenders doors like the sheriff’s office has done in years past, Sheriff Long said he decided to place them in the yard where everyone can see them.
“The activity in our neighborhoods is really going to increase,” he said. “We actually launched the signs out Saturday.”
There are more than 50 sex offenders in Butts County, according to Sheriff Long. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations’ website shows close to 31,500 registered sex offenders in the state.
In Gwinnett County authorities will be doing compliance checks. They also plan to post their offenders watch page as well. A few years ago, The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office did a similar initiative, posting “No trick-or-treat” signs on the homes and apartments of sex offenders.
‘There are some sex offenders that are not happy, “Long said. “But I’m not in the business of making them happy. I’m in the business of keeping safe communities and making sure that our children are protected.”
Mayor of Grovetown Gary E. Jones made the announcement on his Facebook page, stirring quite a debate.
GROVETOWN, Ga. — A mayor in Georgia plans to round up sex offenders on Halloween to house them at city hall.
Mayor of Grovetown Gary E. Jones made the announcement on his Facebook page, stirring quite a debate.
He posted, “In order to ensure the safety of our children, all sex offenders (on probation) in the City of Grovetown will be housed in the county chambers on Halloween night for three hours.”
Jones went on to say the 25 to 30 offenders will be overseen by the Georgia Department of Community Supervision and a local police officer.
If you’re wondering if this is legal, the answer is yes.
The Georgia Department of Community Supervision has the option of requiring paroled sex offenders to check into a specific location on Halloween night or at any time.
This action didn’t come from any previous incident; Mayor Jones said it is a “precautionary action.”
The action is getting quite a bit of support from residents, but some negative feedback, too. Beatrice wrote, “these offenders have paid their debt to society… to place them in a building as a criminal is wrong.”
There is no hard evidence that proves children are more vulnerable to sexual predators on Halloween than any other night of the year, but the National Safety Council reports children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day. Critics believe resources are be better served tackling that rather than going after the sex offenders.
GROVETOWN, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia mayor says the roughly 30 sex offenders on probation in his city will be held at city hall on Halloween to ensure the safety of local children.
News outlets report Grovetown Mayor Gary E. Jones announced the idea Monday on Facebook saying he wants to detain the offenders for several hours. He says they’ll be supervised by a local police officer and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, which he says can require offenders report to a specific location.
Jones initially said all sex offenders would be held, but edited the post to refer to those on probation. Jones’ effort has received a mixed community response.
He previously made headlines in 2014 when he was the city’s police chief and required inmates wear hot pink uniforms.
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A Georgia mayor says the roughly 30 sex offenders on probation in his city will be held at city hall on Halloween to ensure the safety of local children.
News outlets report Grovetown Mayor Gary E. Jones announced the idea Monday on Facebook saying he wants to detain the offenders for several hours. He says they’ll be supervised by a local police officer and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, which he says can require offenders report to a specific location.
Jones initially said all sex offenders would be held, but edited the post to refer to those on probation. Jones’ effort has received a mixed community response.
He previously made headlines in 2014 when he was the city’s police chief and required inmates wear hot pink uniforms.
Copyright 2018 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
