Bed-ridden TX registrant denied end-of-life care; “cruel and inhumane,” says NARSOL
By Catherine Dominguez . . . An elderly bed-ridden registered sex offender will not be allowed to move in with relatives in a Montgomery County home for end-of-life care after Shenandoah city leaders declined to amend an ordinance that restricts residency.
The daughter of the 79-year-old man sought a waiver to the ordinance adopted in 2018 which restricts registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a child safety zone per state law. That zone includes schools, parks and public swimming pools. City Attorney William Ferebee said neither state law nor the ordinance provides a method for making exemptions.
The proposed change to the city ordinance, Ferebee said, would allow the police chief to make that decision on granting that exemption and for how long that exemption would be in place.
Council members appeared to be sympathetic to the end-of-life care situation but agreed the amendment could put the city at risk in the future. The home, Ferebee said, is about 900 feet from the city’s toddler park. . . .
A Houston spokeswoman for the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws said the man should be allowed to get care from his family.
“The gentleman in question is dying; he is bedridden; he is in need of end-of-life care,” said Sandy Rozek, communications director with the North Carolina-based civil rights organization that works to refine sex offender laws, including doing away with registries. “He is zero threat to anyone. It is cruel and inhumane to deny him and his family this request.
“No category of crime carries with it the potential for this type of restriction or this type of indifference to human suffering,” Rozek continued. “Whatever he did, however long ago he did it, he presumably has paid the punishment for his offense, most likely long ago.” . . .
[Police Chief] Dunlap said he was not in favor of making exceptions to the 1,000-foot restriction.
“I can give you my answer right now,” Dunlap said. “It wouldn’t be within that 1,000 feet. It’s too much of a liability.”
Rozek said the residency restrictions are “completely ineffective.”
“In considering re-offense of a sexual assault against a stranger by someone on the (sex offender) registry, there is no correlation between where a registrant lives and any ‘child-safe’ areas such as schools, parks, swimming pools,” Rozek said. “This is true whether the original offense was a more or a less serious one.”
A 2013 study evaluating sex offender residency restrictions in Michigan and Missouri found that they had little effect on recidivism. . . .
Read the full piece here at the Courier.
SO registration laws are in of themselves cruel and legalized torture. Someone could sell heroin to a 5 year old and no one would give a crap how close they live to a school or park
Yep…and nowadays everything is in Gummy Form, so anyone can give a Kid a ‘Gummy Bear’ and they could drop LSD, THC, or anything else in it and the Kid could succumb to fatal injuries…so how is the ‘Federal Hit List’ going to stop any freak-a-zoid person?
Such a sad situation. I’ve been off the registry for years and the crime I committed was reduced to a misdemeanor in 2019. However, I still have to be cognizant of laws. Going to another state to visit can cause me to have to notify police. I’ve given up on going to another country due to the International Megan’s Law. These irrational laws affect all of us.
This is downright inhumane.
Residency restrictions, just like so called “gun free zones”, do absolutely nothing to stop crime.
This elderly man is dying and needs the support of his family. He’s clearly no threat to anyone.
Shame on this city, placing fear and politics over reality and ethics.
I agree!. The registry does not work, does not stop crime and it humiliated the offender, his family, his children , deprived them of a real father able to do things with their children. It is so unfair and so cruel I just could never have imagined in my worst nightmare how bad the registry could be. It’s so wrong. It has been proven many times over that children are not molested by strangers on the street but by family, teachers, preachers , people who work with children or people they know and trust. What sense does it make to have to be 500 ft or a 1000 ft from these places, how does that stop anything. ? AND all the sex crimes are placed in one big basket and labeled the same!!
I wish people would stand up to this and fight the registry. I am interested if anyone wants to join me!!!
He doesn’t need the county’s permission, he needs the court’s permission!
Go anyways. What they going to do.he is at end of life. They will swear out a warrant, arrest him and process him through the courts. Seeing as how they are so concerned over safety, they will jail him. Now he is required by law to be treated. Let the damn county dig into their budgets and pay for it. I would rather leave this world fighting, than on my knees giving in. Over and over. They just suck life right out of you.
That’s a very lonely road to go down, being alone at the end of one’s life. This story is sick. Absolutely sick and repulsive. A bunch of politicians and beaurocrats all hiding behind these laws, their sense of nobility and egos all swelling beyond what is normal.
“[Police Chief] Dunlap said he was not in favor of making exceptions to the 1,000-foot restriction.
“I can give you my answer right now,” Dunlap said. “It wouldn’t be within that 1,000 feet. It’s too much of a liability.”
These clowns are afraid of a bed ridden man dying being in a rest home somehow escaping and making a beeline of 900 ft directly to the toddler park to rape a baby? It’s too much of a liability? I’m so outraged by this! Where’s Jesus when we need him to stand up to these Bozos and tell them those without sin cast the first stone? The heartlessness, the cruel inhunane calloused disregard for decent humanity. I’m sickened and anyone reading this should be as well. Complete abhorrent shame on those making and enforcing these laws. I am without words strong enough to express how livid I am at that clown Dunlap and how much sympathy I hold for this dying man’s last wishes during the last days of his life on this cruel earth to only be with his family.
But his daughter would get arrested and you can be sure they would find some scammy way to get her on the registration too..
Amen!!!
So, offenders who are 1001 feet are less dangerous than someone who is 999 feet? I mean I am sure that bed ridden man could not walk 10 feet nevertheless 1000 feet, but the authorities are worried about an extra foot of protection???? Give me a break. I would laugh if this were actually funny, but they are playing God in a life-or-death situation.
Prayers for this man and his family.
It really is unbelievable. It’s meant to be cruel, and to keep people scared, because if a bedridden, dying old man is still considered a threat, he must be ‘really dangerous’. In reality, I think people just like having a scapegoat they can abuse with no repercussions.
There has to be a way out of these type of situations after 20yrs of good behavior. Even prisoners get that much.
Seems everyone can have as second chance except for the RSO. No chance for something like a parol hearing. No chance for a re evaluation. No.chance for redemption.
Obama once said, ” There are no 2nd class citizens on this country, ” What a huge lie that was. And the NRA likes to say everyone should have a gun for personal protection.
Well, everyone except for the RSO. Whom I believe need one more than anyone else. Given the current hatred toward even the most minor of the offense.
So true!!!
Gun ownership is dependent upon being convicted of a Felony or Violent Misdemeanor. At least where I live. It does not depend on a person being on the registry or not. This is likely dependent upon individual state laws, but in both Florida and Georgia there is no law explicit to sex offender registration.
Oh, they can’t do that! We have to protect the children! Yeah… right!
These so called “perfect, never sinned” people denying this man the right to be cared for by his family are the ones who have issues. This man paid for his mistakes, did his time and is now dying. He deserves to be with his family, as does everyone when they are at the end of their life. God is the ultimate judge. Everyone will go before Him. He loves all sinners….not their sin. He forgives, if one is truly repentant. This poor man is incapable of “hurting” anyone anymore. He deserves the right to be with his family.
I know I keep ranting, but this just makes my heart sick! This world has become self serving and crueler than ever.
Sometimes I think we’re missing the point. Yes, it’s ludicrous this man can’t get end of life care. But what about all the rich people, and this includes Hollywood’s stars, who were protected during the Jeffrey Epstine case? I’m sure they will go unprosecuted and receive their end of life care. Give this man the dignity of end of life care! It won’t turn anyone into a sex offender1
So still say it’s “not punitive” ? Please explain what threat a terminally ill bed ridden man waiting to die is? Registry’s are nothing but draconian vindictiveness..If registry’s really were about stopping crime 30 years later why aren’t we using them for murder, kidnapping and other crime? Why are we not in a Stallone Utopian time cop no crime society using three shells to poop? Because they don’t work and actually cause more crime then they prevent.if u had honest cops they would tell you this..
If the Supreme Court Judges don’t think the registry is cruel and unusual punishment. Then put all of the judges on the registry with there name , address, all the same as SO’s have to and leave them on there for one year and come back and let us know
That is the most infuriating thing, I just can’t believe the cruel treatment on so many levels. The child safety zones are ridiculous and whoever put the registry in place shouldn’t be able to sleep at night. They say they care about the kids but they sure don’t care about the kids of the offender who has already paid the price for their crime and it never ends. There is no other crime where you are still punished after you have served your sentence. The registry is cruel and inhumane and it should be done away with. It ruins so many lives in so many ways. Shame on the people who say you are getting a second chance and they want you to succeed when they have served their time but they do everything in their power to make them fail by humiliating them, having a picture on the registry for everyone to see. Where you can live, the places you can’t go , getting a job is next to impossible . What happened to second chances and redeeming yourself
In the eyes of man. God has already forgiven he paid the price for all our sins and if you are one of the cruel people who put the registry in effect and wants to keep it, you will have to answer to God for that. None of us are good. All of us have something in our lives we would not want everyone to know, all of us! . We are all sinners
saved by the grace of God..
This is so wrong to keep a man from receiving the end of life care he needs. Shame on you..The Bible says judge not, lest ye be judged and in the same way you forgive, God will return to you.
So what the punishment for living with one 1000 feet in that state? Just get him and hire a lawyer that know how to play this game
Why would a police chief ever be granted the “power” to decide on exemptions to state/federal laws for registrants? Can we say “biased” when it comes to many some small town law enforcement officials and their thoughts on persons forced to register.
The registration law is cruel and very unusual punishment in every state. It needs to be abolished. 500 ft, 1000ft, those ridiculous rules do absolutely nothing as far as “keeping children safe”, they are part of the scare tactic that has been forced on the public to make the public think that they are somehow “safer” with these ridiculous rules set in place.
I hope this man’s family can somehow sue the pants off their city officials for inflicting “cruel and unusual punishment” on a dying man and his family.!!!!!!!!!!
If I’m correct no Chief of Police can grant exemption to any law, only a judge in a court of law can make exemptions, period
I am absolutely speechless. Law enforcement continues to use sex offenses as a way to look tough on crime. In fact, as this article demonstrates, they have gone so far as to be selectively inhumane and downright hardened (similar to another group of people during the 1940’s.) . If the man had been a murderer, a gang member, or even tortured someone, this would be a non issue. I say file a lawsuit. .
I agree, a lawsuit would be appropriate. But the state lawyers will skip around every issue brought forth and it will fail. Then it will need to be appealed and will need to go all the way to the Supreme Court who would be forced to address this “civil regulatory scheme” for being what it is, cruel and unusual punishment. Then at such a time all the harms brought on by the registry could be brought forth and considered (murders, suicides, joblessness, homelessness). Remember, segregation was considered a civil regulatory scheme until the Supreme Court was forced to rule on it as being unequal only because it became so wrong on all levels. This is the same issue, only problem is the courts refuse to address the matter as such and dance around any argument to keep the registry intact. Lifetime parole is another method of punishment that is laid upon sex offenders based on the “frightening and high” recidivism lie which also restricts an individuals ability to move on with their life. Parole shouldn’t be allowed, but if it is, it must be reasonable. Parole shouldn’t be for more than a year, if that, then all rights restored. I for one pray for a day the registry will be abolished and all those in prison doing time for a FTR offense will automatically be released.
I generally agree with what others are saying. The man is 79 years old and he’s dying he should be allowed to be with his family. The ordinance is 1000 feet and the house is 900 feet. Making an exception for a dying man who is 100 feet too close to a park is too much? Honestly I’d laugh in their faces. They along with the DA have the ability to NOT prosecute this person. Or if they want to be big law enforcement, file the charges the day he passes. You can prosecute a dead person.
Thank you Sandy, for publicizing this all too often result of the registry.
My heart goes out to this family who is being punished just as much if not more than than the gentleman being denied a peaceful death.
I am quite sure the police chief is aptly named.
Maybe civil, peaceful protest, and if necessary, civil disobedience is the answer. Maybe if we all get together, meet, and protest outside these places it will make people think rationally. I’m not advocating violence, and none of us want to go to jail. I, for one, am tired of cowering in my house. I’ve asked for God’s forgiveness and received it. I defended this country with my life. Maybe it’s time to put it on the line again.
This is insane, rules that do not make sense in this situation. He is dying he cannot get 1000 feet away. Shame on these officials with no common sense.