Posted on 03/25/2008 6:02:44 AM PDT by ShadowDancer
Sex Offender Ordered by Judge to Post Signs Tuesday, March 25, 2008
HUDSON, Kan. Under a judge's order, a man who has admitted molesting a boy has posted signs around his house and a decal on his car proclaiming that he is a sex offender.
The hand-painted signs reading "A Sex Offender Lives Here" are posted on all four sides of Leroy Schad's white house in this central Kansas town of only about 150 people. His vehicle has a large decal with bold yellow lettering reading "Sex Offender In This Car."
Schad, 72, was originally charged with four counts of taking indecent liberties with a 9-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy in 2005. He was allowed to plead guilty in March 2007 to a lesser charge of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child, and the original charges were dismissed.
District Judge Ron Svaty sentenced him to five years of probation and house arrest, and ordered him to post the signs during his punishment.
Schad is appealing the sign requirement. He could have faced about three years behind bars.
"I know that I deserve something for that, but I don't think I deserve what I got," he said.
The signs went up a few months ago. Schad said the loneliness and isolation imposed by the house arrest are the toughest to deal with.
"It's been pure hell," said Schad, who has lived in the town since 1971.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Ever been to Hudson? I have. Hudson is definitely worse than a jail sentence. As long as he sticks to goats like everyone else, the neighbors will leave him alone.
Not sure there are many public transportation options in Hudson. Towns of 150 folks generally don’t have the Metro.
That’s wonderful. Let’s rely on the townsfolk running 24/7 surveillance on the old dude and going Charles Bronson on him if he pulls any funny stuff. That’s a hell of a lot more efficient and effective than just putting him behind bars, where he belongs.
"It's been pure hell," said Schad, who has lived in the town since 1971.
Ummm... you CHOSE to molest those children. You CHOSE your punishment. If you don't like it, violate your conditions and go to prison with Bubba... he likes your type...
72? There are some on FR who think he should be excused because he would be too old to know better.
No - not worth jail time. Worth noose time...
What's to keep him in that town? And how does one make it up to a kid who has been molested. "Well, gee, as soon as we found out, we strung him up. Sure, we knew he'd done it before. Uh . . .what? Why are you mad at us?"
You've never heard of the Hudson International Airport? Neither have I.
If he’s that dangerous, just keep him in jail. This Orwellian BS sets a bad precedent that could end up being used for other crimes.
Out of curiosity, would all of you small-town justice enthusiasts be okay with it if this same sentence was imposed on a murderer?
It’s completely Orwellian. But it’s happening in the sticks with no nearby public transportation, so apparently, it’s all good.
The guy should consider himself lucky he doesn't live in the same Irish community as this drug dealer...
Oh that would be better.....!
Personally, I think the townsfolk would do a much better job of keeping him in line than some plush jail with three squares, a nice exercise court and the ACLU watching his back.
When this man’s body is found somewhere, who’s gonna tell how it got there?
That’s quite a bike ride for a geezer (no offense to the elderly on the board). Take a look at a map.
I wonder how many cabs there are in Hudson? I’m guessing somewhere between 0 and 0.
As for friends, he said his issue was lonliness.
Well, it may be important to start at the basics. Have you ever lived in a small town of a few hundred or even a few thousand?
I can't believe some of the excuses being thrown around here to justify not putting a child rapist in jail ("their houses aren't worth much anyway", "he won't be able to get a ride to the mall", "the yokels are going to kill him anyway", etc). It's madness. Orwellian madness, as someone astutely pointed out earlier.
I still can't help but think that what's really at issue here is the severity of this crime. Because none of you would ever accept this sort of sentencing for a killer. Crimes against kids just don't carry the weight they used to in this country.
Stop debating like a leftist and trying to make it personal. This has nothing to do with me or where I live. The notion that the punishment for child rape ought to be based on the size of the town the child rapist lives in is obscene. We’re talking about one of the worst crimes imaginable, the man belongs in a prison cell. Not in the comfort of his home with an embarrassing sign on his front yard.
But just to blow your assumption completely out of the water, I live on a street that has more cows than people. So much for that.
I would have no issue with the man being jailed, I’m merely point out the outrageous fallacies or your arguement about his situation.
To suggest a bus/cab is going to pick him up after driving ~100 miles from Salina is pretty laughable.
Or that the 72 year old is going to bike 10+ miles to the next closest town, which doesn’t have a mall.
Heck, I think the guy should be jailed, and afterword forced to have the signs. There’s a convicted predator within 10 miles of my home, and I’d really like to know when he’s driving down the street while I’m with my daughter at the playground.
Unintended spillover - also, there's the danger that this ruling could spill over to other offenses - "Thief Lives Here", "DUI offender lives here", "Republican lives here...oh wait, that could never happen....Well, unless we let hitlery or obamamama into the WH
It seems an ankle bracelet would be a better way to go - (After all, it worked to keep the public safe from that dangerous criminal, Martha Stewart )- then his whereabouts could be monitored. He can easily circumvent the signs - could even rent somewhere else while keeping his present address. Could get around without the car, etc.
Dumb move...
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