Posted on 08/22/2003 1:30:08 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Sex-offender net nabs 108 who didn't notify By Chris Conley conley@gomemphis.com August 22, 2003
More than 100 convicted sex offenders in Shelby County who allegedly have failed to register with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have been rounded up over the past three days.
The 108 convicted offenders, most of whom have completed probation, now face additional misdemeanor charges that carry a mandatory minimum of 180 days in jail.
They have been convicted of a wide range of sexual crimes, including rape, statutory rape, rape of a child, soliciting a child and sexual exploitation of a child.
They are among about 250 convicted sex offenders in Shelby County who allegedly have not complied with state law requiring them to file quarterly statements keeping state officials supplied with a current address. The other suspects were still being sought late Thursday.
Most of those arrested this week had bailed out of Shelby County Jail by Thursday afternoon on bonds of between $500 and $5,000.
Four were arrested with handguns, and can be charged with being a felon in possession of a handgun, a felony, said Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons.
Several of the suspects had other outstanding warrants, none for violent crimes.
"Under the law, every citizen has a right to know whether a convicted sexual offender is living in his or her neighborhood," Gibbons said.
In Shelby County, almost 60 percent of those required by state law to maintain current addresses with the registry have failed to comply, officials said.
"It has been a frustrating problem for a number of years," Gibbons said. "We turned to the TBI for help."
The Tennessee Sexual Offender and Monitoring Act requires the offender to register with the TBI within 10 days of release from prison. Offenders must also notify the agency of any changes in address.
"There's no question but that it is not working as it should," said TBI director Larry Wallace.
"We need to take a clear, fair look and see if we can offer suggestions for a change" in the law, he said.
Memphis, Germantown, Collierville and Millington Police Departments aided in the roundup, which began early Tuesday.
Anyone with information about a sex offender who has failed to register can call the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or the Shelby County Sheriff's Fugitive Office at 545-5620.
- Chris Conley: 529-2595
Hopefully, other states will follow Tennessee's lead.
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