Posted on 07/14/2007 4:37:53 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Neighborhood alarmed to learn ice-cream truck vendor is registered sex offender
01:13 AM PDT on Saturday, July 14, 2007
By SARAH BURGE
The Press-Enterprise
A group of Perris homeowners has launched a campaign to run their local ice cream man out of the neighborhood.
Anthony G. Toles, his neighbors discovered recently, is a registered sex offender who has been living and driving his ice cream truck in the Villages of Avalon, a newer housing development near Lake Perris.
On the Fourth of July, about 10 neighbors distributed 500 custom-printed door hangers alerting residents to "a potential threat to our children" driving a green ice cream truck.
"They have to live somewhere," said Amanda Burnham, one neighbor who helped distribute the door hangers, "but they don't have to drive an ice cream truck."
Toles, 48, was incensed when he heard of the neighborhood campaign. But his neighbors may get their way -- he's thinking of moving.
"I think that it's very messed up the way everybody is judging me," he said, describing himself as a father and grandfather. "It hurts me. My pride is hurt.
"My neighbors were always cool," he said. "Now they probably hate me."
Toles pleaded guilty in 2003 to continuous sexual abuse of a child and lewd and lascivious acts against a child. The victims were described in court records as his daughters, both of whom were under 14. He was placed on three years' probation and sentenced to one year in county jail with credit for seven months served, court records show. His probation expired last July.
Toles contends he didn't molest his daughters. He said he pleaded guilty because he had poor legal representation and didn't want to risk prison time.
Toles, who lives with his wife in a two-story rented home, said he's no predator, that he's merely trying to earn a living selling candy, ice cream and water guns. He said he drives an ice cream truck because no one wants to hire someone with his criminal history.
But while Toles peddled frozen treats at schools, parks and swimming pools for the past couple months, his neighbors were reporting the movements of his "dreaded green ice cream truck" on a community Internet message board. The discussion began in May with a neighbor who spotted him on the Megan's Law Internet database of registered sex offenders.
The Megan's Law site was launched by the state Department of Justice in 2004 for residents who want to keep track of registered sex offenders in their neighborhoods.
Sheriff's Department spokesman Jerry Franchville said Perris police checked on Toles after a neighbor reported him, but because he is no longer on parole or probation there's nothing they can do.
No Ban On Vending
Registered sex offenders aren't allowed to work in California massage parlors, but there is no law to prevent them from driving ice cream trucks.
Sandra Del Rio, a business license specialist with the city of Perris, said the city does not do formal background checks on applicants, but anyone applying to be a fortuneteller, pawnshop operator or peddler, such as an ice cream truck driver, is asked to disclose any criminal convictions. If they do, she said, their applications would be referred to the city attorney, who could reject them.
Del Rio said Toles does not appear to hold a Perris business license, although Toles said that he does.
The Villages of Avalon neighbors wouldn't be the first people to take exception to a registered sex offender ice cream man.
New York state passed a law in 2005 to prohibit registered sex offenders from driving ice cream trucks. And last year an Illinois state legislator introduced a bill that would require ice cream truck drivers to register with the state for a special identification card. Anyone convicted of homicide or a sex offense would be denied.
At Toles' home this week, the neighborhood alert message lay on his coffee table alongside photos showing his smiling children and grandchildren.
Toles said he found the announcement on his ice cream truck last week. Across the top it read, "Villages of Avalon On Alert." It did not include his name or photo, but it encouraged neighbors to search for registered sex offenders in the area on the Megan's Law Web site. It also pointed out that a neighbor who drives a green ice cream truck is included on the site.
Toles, who says he is illiterate, didn't realize the notice was about him until a relative read it to him.
Since the door hangers appeared, Toles said, a chill has set in. Before, neighbors would greet him cheerfully. Children would come knocking on his door demanding candy. Now, no one speaks to him.
"All it takes is the word 'sex offender,' " he said, "and boom!"
As protests against sex offenders go, the Villages of Avalon campaign against Toles has been low key.
In 2005, for example, Mead Valley residents staged a shrill, monthslong demonstration against David Dokich, a repeat sex offender who came to live in a halfway house there after he was released from prison.
Residents staked out the home, chanting into bullhorns and waving signs with messages such as "Pervert Alert." Eventually, Dokich was arrested on a parole violation and sent back to jail where he was severely beaten by another inmate. He died earlier this year.
Still, the Villages of Avalon campaign may succeed in driving Toles out.
Toles said he has already stopped driving his truck in the neighborhood.
Living there, he said, isn't worth the aggravation either.
"I'll just move on," Toles said.
But he said he has no plans to give up his ice cream truck.
Staff writer Richard Brooks contributed to this report.
Reach Sarah Burge at 951-375-3736 or sburge@PE.com
Anyways...parents just need to be vigilant these days.
Perris isn't too far away from where I live. I'm hoping that this convicted sex offender down't start a new route in my neighborhood.
Anthony Gerald Toles - Convicted of 288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS and 288.5(a) CONTINUOUS SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILD
I love happy endings.
A guy who worked at our local comic book shop was a convicted sex offender. When the owner found out about this, he told the guy he could either pay to have somebody with him in the store at all times, or he could seek employment elsewhere. The creep is now loading trucks at a warehouse up in Louisville.
Leave it to the perverts and muzzies to screw up what was once a great childhood tradition.
As kids, my friends and I would always buy “Wacky Package” stickers from the ice cream man. This was when I lived out in the San Gabriel Valley in the 1970s. The “Wacky Package” stickers were satirical stickers of various commercial products. Like “Bosco” chocolate syrup was renamed “Moscow” chocolate syrup and depicted a cartoon Russian drinking chocolate milk.
I know these sound pretty corny now, but it was great to be a kid and growing up in carefree and more innocent times...
Oh, THAT'S what I needed to hear! Yeesh!
He lives with his wife in a rented house, no mention of daughters?
Which is about the only job they're especially qualified for. Go figure.
Which means NO "Good Humor man" ought to get a free pass. He might just be a sex offender who hasn't been caught yet.
Parents, watch your children...
Which means NO "Good Humor man" ought to get a free pass. He might just be a sex offender who hasn't been caught yet.
Parents, watch your children...
Dang, only 3 years probation for continuous sexual abuse of his young daughters. That’s messed up.
The Mitt bashers will figure out a way to tie Romney in with that ice-cream truck.
There’s b-movie called “Ice Cream Man”. It was on SciFi a couple of months back.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113376/
Ice Cream Man: You got any suspects?
Det. Maldwyn: That’s classified ice cream man. Classified.
The company that lets him use its name for the truck is committing reckless endangerment. They should be prosecuted the same way somebody who didn’t put a lock on their un-attended swimming pool would be.
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