Registered Sex Offender in neighborhood we're buying in--ADVICE

[sweetiejenn]

Originally Posted by marlene915

I live in a very nice, upscale town and shortly after moving in we learned that we lived across the street from a registered sex offender. In 13 years, I have only seen him out of the house a handful of times and he has never even glanced at me or my kids. There have been absolutely no issues at all, but I did tell my kids to avoid the house on Halloween. The most annoying part about it has been the inquiries from concerned parents who noticed that I lived on the same block. There have been far more problems with rental properties in the neighborhood, and I also have a few other creepy neighbors that aren't in the database. At least the guy across the street is monitored. I guess what I am saying is that you could move into the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood and despite your research could run into unforseen problems. Good luck!

Thank you!
That is an unfortunate thing to find out after moving into your home. What was the offense? A lot of people keep telling me, "don't worry, it could just be a minor offense"-- but research shows it was child molestation of an 11 year old. Ugh!! Not sure I can get past that. We still haven't decided what we're going to do. The sale is on hold until we make up our mind. :/ I just don't know if we'll be able to find a decent house in our price range with good schools if we pass on this, and for all we know this guy could move out in a month. I don't want to base a huge life decision on some creep who may never bother us. But I also don't want to put my kids in possible harms way.

Tax rate is 3.2%, so just under $6,000 for us.

[C. Maurio]

Just tell your kids to stay away from the pervert's house.

[divakat]

I wouldn't feel comfortable with it personally. There would always be this nagging feeling or bit of anxiety. June, July and August are the peak months for new houses being listed so there is lots more inventory that will come up---plus, inventory is starting to pick up again as of last month in general. Also, this "disorder" does not just get cured. It is an orientation.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by divakat

I wouldn't feel comfortable with it personally. There would always be this nagging feeling or bit of anxiety. June, July and August are the peak months for new houses being listed so there is lots more inventory that will come up---plus, inventory is starting to pick up again as of last month in general. Also, this "disorder" does not just get cured. It is an orientation.

I already linked to MULTIPLE studies that show that the registries ARE INEFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY. I know people may want to believe that some master database of "bad things" will somehow segregate criminals into some kind of "island of misfits" but that is not the case.

Sadly really sick people capable of unspeakably evil things can do completely undetected for a decade as has been seen in just Cleveland but the recent case in California. If there is a lesson in this perhaps it is that if calls to 911 are ignored by police cowed by fears of being called bigoted or close mined by the amoral creeps that what to live out their depraved kinks then perhaps calls to the media will be more effective as their motivations to profit from titillation and exploitation while playing the "exposer" seem without limit...

Folks that complain about having a "Mrs Cravitz" on the block that "knows everybody's business" might want to rethink how valuable it is to have some busy bodies around if the alternative is to have twisted sickos skulking around...

There is no substitute for putting one's self out there a bit -- host some block parties, share a cup of coffee or a cold beer. If the "quiet people that keep to themselves" are made to sweat in those situations maybe they won't try to conceal crimes and hopefully will get the help they need.

[faeryedark]

Originally Posted by sweetiejenn

We are in the process of moving forward on purchasing a brand new construction home in Volo. Everything seemed perfect and the house is a great fit for us. Beautiful subdivision with young families and a great park. However, I came home and scoured the internet, only to find there is a registered sex offender living in that subdivision... not only that, he lives on the same STREET our house will be built on. His profile states that the victim was only 11 years old at the time of the offense. This terrifies me. I have a three year old daughter and an infant son, and we plan on living in this house for many years.

What is everyone's thoughts on this matter? Do you think it's serious enough to walk away? Am I overreacting? I just want a safe neighborhood for my children. I know that can't be guaranteed anywhere we go, but I just get a bad feeling when I think about this. I'm wondering if I should bring it up to my realtor? I'm a paranoid mom who watches too much Investigation Discovery (I actually did not want a ranch style home so my children's bedrooms weren't on ground level in case of an intruder!)... So yeah, this is not sitting well with me!!

What would you do?

Most child sex abuse happens within a child's family and close circle of friends/mentors. And contrary to popular belief cultivated by the lamestream media, the recidivism rate for sex offenders is quite low according to the Dept. of Justice.

[OleSchoolFool]

like someone else said, even if u find a home with no offenders nearby, what if they move there later? in other words, it doesnt matter, jus make sure yo kids know how to kick men in the groint

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Unfortunately, you should probably assume you have a sex offender living up the street no matter where you are living. Most of the crimes of this nature that occur are reported years later, and the registered offenders are only the people who have been caught, prosecuted, and convicted.

That said, I ALWAYS check the website before putting an offer in on a house. If you KNOW the guy next door is a child predator, that will not be a comfortable place to live. I would walk away if I could do it legally.

A registered offender can move in next door, tomorrow. There's nothing you or if you live in an HOA, they can do about it.

Offenders drop off the registry after ten years.

How many offenders are never caught or convicted of a crime?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by middle-aged mom

A registered offender can move in next door, tomorrow. There's nothing you or if you live in an HOA, they can do about it.

Offenders drop off the registry after ten years.

How many offenders are never caught or convicted of a crime?

So true. And as others have pointed out, most of the cases of child sex abuse are by people you already know and have a relationship with. The kidnap a random child off the street model is actually very rare (though not rare enough, since even one of these incidents is too many).

I just know personally that I couldn't knowingly live next to a child sex offender and have any piece of mind. It would bother me to the point of really decreasing my quality of life. And if one happens to move next door to me, I will make sure they don't feel welcome.

[cully]

Someone said not to worry because law enforcement knows where these people live. My response would be yes...so that when they offend again LE will know where to go to question.

I feel it's a matter of the evil you know...I think the expression is the devil you know. Sure, someone could move in next door....and personally, why they are being allowed into family neighborhoods is beyond me...but this one you know is there so if it were me I'd avoid it.

I know it's legal to have a "friend" or even sex offender family member living with you. I know of at least one home where the owner is in a ministry to these people and it is a fact that there are limited places these people can go when they get out of prison. (Although, again, I don't know why because they do seem so protected.) That minister has allowed them to live in his home. In that same neighborhood was a family with a manual labor type company who employed another one of these offenders. And he and the young men in the family were often out playing baskeball at the house and hanging out.

Just around the corner from this subdivision on a back entry that might seem like a country road and out of the way street but is a popular street there is another one. The owners live out of the area.

There was a national article printed in the local paper about such offenders causing home prices to go down and homes to remain on the market longer. A couple of days after that the minister's guest left. About that time homes started selling over there.

I do like to note how old the individual was when the crime was committed. I do note that it may have been a case of an angry parent. However, that's really neither here nor there because the facts remain. There is a fear, perceived or not. There is a damper put on a once happy neighborhood. I do know that for a fact. And very sad to see. There is also the consideration of resale.