House Looking to Crack Down on Sex Offender Crimes with Online Database
The recent state auditor report revealing that a large number of sex offenders live at addresses registered as childcare facilities has added fuel to the effort on Beacon Hill to publicize the names of all those who’ve committed sex crimes. “The auditor’s recent findings should serve as a catalyst to pass targeted legislation which protects the Commonwealth’s citizens from dangerous sex offenders,” House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. (R-North Reading) said in a statement Wednesday. “The report published today is an unfortunate example of why comprehensive sex offender legislation I filed will, in part, open the lines of communication between the Department of Early Education and Care and the Sex Offender Registry Board.” Jones’ bill is one of three now in the House that propose changing state law to make the names of lower-level offenders available either online or at a police department. Currently, only the names of Level 3 offenders, who are deemed by the registry board to be the most likely to reoffend, are public information. Jones’ bill, “An Act relative to protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth from sex offenders,” would make information about both Level 2 and 3 sex offenders available online and a list of Level 1 sex offenders available at police departments. It also restricts who can be classified as a Level 1 sex offender. Those who commit crimes against children or “other particularly violent sexually based crimes” would not be able to receive a Level 1 designation. Some exceptions exist for people who committed their crime when they were younger than 14. Currently, the power to classify each offender lies with the registry board, which considers a number of factors related to the crime. These may include the offender’s criminal history, the circumstances of the crime, the degree of harm caused and other considerations. For more, see the board’s guidelines. The two other bills, “An Act relative to public access to sex offender registration information” by Rep. Shaunna O’Connell (R-Taunton) and Rep. James Dwyer (D-Woburn), and “An Act relative to the Sex Offender Registry Board” by Rep. James Arciero (D-Westford) both aim to make information regarding all sex offenders available online. Such information includes the nature of the offense and the offender’s name, address, age, employer, race, height, hair and eye colors and photo. All three bills are scheduled for a Joint Committee on the Judiciary hearing on May 7. The three bills were filed in January, a month after a Level 1 sex offender, John Burbine of Wakefield, was charged with 100 counts of child sex abuse involving 13 infants and toddlers at the illegal daycare service he ran. State Auditor Suzanne Bump released findings […]
Police Arrest Fugitive in Maine for South End Drug Crimes
The following information was supplied by the Boston Police Department. Charges listed do not indicate convictions. A Brockton man was arrested while in a Maine prison on Tuesday for defaulting on a warrant related to his 2010 arrest in the South End on drug charges. At 5 p.m. on February 19, members of the BPD Fugitive Units took custody of Edwell Gethers of 123 South Leyden Street, Brockton, MA from Kennebec County Jail in Augusta, Maine. Gethers had defaulted on a Boston District Court warrant issued on January 18, 2013 for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Gethers was originally arrested on the evening of Friday, September 17, 2010 in an undercover drug operation in the Washington Street area near East Berkley Street. Police reported Gethers provided a bag of off-white rocks believed to be crack cocaine. Officers arrested four individuals as a result of this sting, including Gethers. Gethers was booked for the outstanding warrant and charged with being a fugitive from justice. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Transit Police: Report ‘Open & Gross’ Crimes on MBTA
Transit police are urging the public to report open and gross crimes they see while aboard MBTA trains and at stations following an incident resulting in an arrest at North Station Monday. Mehmet Beyaztas, 24 of Boston was arrested Monday after a witness told police she saw him masturbating on an inbound Lowell commuter rail train, according to the Transit Police News blog. Police want to make the public aware of this sort of crime noting in a following blog post that such crimes tend to go under reported. “[W]e hope it encourages others who have had similar experiences to contact and report the incident to Transit Police,” the blog says. “Our detectives will work tirelessly to identify and hold the offender responsible for their criminal conduct.” The blog instructs victims of such crimes to bring attention to the person, tell others around you, move away if possible, take a picture if safe to do so and report the incident to Transit Police as soon as practical. Also, passengers can call 617-222-1212 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or use the MBTA’s SeeSay app, according to the blog. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch