Posted on 10/21/2009 1:30:59 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Just breaking...found in a Georgia landfill..confirmed by Gov. Crist
Florida is absolutely full of scum and vermon. How sad.
Dense Population of Sex Offenders in Fla. Case Is Alarmingly Typical
Density of Offenders Near Home of Somer Thompson, 7, Missing Since Monday, Is Not Unusual
By RUSSELL GOLDMAN
Oct. 21, 2009—
There are so many sex offenders living within blocks of where 7-year-old Somer Thompson vanished Monday that when their homes are represented by pins on a digital map they create a cluster so thick it overlaps in places.
Law enforcement officials have interviewed at least 75 registered sex offenders who live within a 5-mile radius of the second grader’s home on Orange Park, Fla., but state officials say there are some 161 convicted offenders in that area.
Experts say despite what appears to be an extraordinary concentration, the number of local offenders is actually quite typical for an area so close to a major city. Most people, they say, have no idea just how many sex offenders are living in their neighborhood.
“In spite of appearing it to be a lot, that’s about average,” said Ron Book, a Florida lawyer who lobbies for tougher sex-offender legislation. “Some areas have hundreds of offenders.”
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which maintains the state’s sex offender registry, there are some 82 sex offenders living with a 3-mile radius of Somer’s home in Orange Park, a suburb of Jacksonville, and 161 registered offenders within a 5 mile radius.
By contrast there are 10 McDonald’s restaurants in the same 5 mile radius.
State officials would not comment on whether they believed 161 offenders in the area was a high or moderate density.
But Professor David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, agreed that 161 sex offenders in a 5-mile area that included parts of a major city is not necessarily a high density.
“Different states have different policies about what level of sex offenders are required to register. You can have over 1,000 offenders in an urban area without much difficulty. It sounds scary to people, but many states have registration regimes that include people who are not all that dangerous,” he said.
The 5-mile radius around Somer’s home in 1700 block of Horton Dr. in Orange Park includes parts of the city of Jacksonville, the largest and most populous city in Florida.
There are some 53,201 registered sex offenders in the entire state of Florida. Of those, 318 live in Clay County, where Orange Park is located and an additional 1,671 live in Duvall County, where Jacksonville is located.
The ratio of residents to sex offenders in Jacksonville is estimated at 486 to 1.
Of the 161 offenders in the area, 16 are classified as predators, which generally means the offender was convicted of a first-degree felony sex offense many of which involve the molestation of children.
Laws about where sex offenders are allowed to live vary from county to county and depend on the severity and nature of the crime for which the criminal was convicted.
Book said sex offenders often cluster together in part because of laws that restrict the places in which they can live.
Though high concentrations of offenders appear to be problematic, high densities actually help police.
“Some laws have forced clustering. While that appears to have a downside, some say it’s a good thing from a law enforcement prospective. If you have clustering its easier for parole, probation and police officials to keep track of them,” he said.
Some offenders are not permitted to live within 1,000 feet of a school or are banned from activities like distributing candy on Halloween, said Mike Morrison spokesman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Ten registered offenders live within 1 mile of Somer’s school, Grove Park Elementary, a 10-minute walk from her home.
Finkelhor said sex offenders tend to have lower recidivism rates than other felons, and many of the worst crimes are committed by first-time offenders. However, he said, it’s well worth law enforcement officials’ time to interview offenders who have a history of crimes against children.
“One of the best and most important uses of registries is as tool of law enforcement, so they can identify individuals who have committed similar crimes. It is important to check those people out.”
The search for Somer entered its third day Wednesday, as hundreds of local, state and federal authorities scoured the area around which the second grader was last seen.
With no physical evidence and no leads, police are hoping the interviews might help in the search for Thompson, who ran ahead of her friends and siblings while making the short walk home from her elementary school around 3 p.m. Monday.
“This case is very troubling in that we just don’t have a lot of information,” Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler told “Good Morning America,” adding, “We really believe that ... Somer has been removed from the area.”
Prayers for the family. They’ve been given a load no one should have to carry.
Heavenly Father,
We ask that you provide an abundance of comfort and support for this mother and father. Let your presence be known at the height of their grief that they might might know you. Bless and keep Somer’s twin and older brother as the family deals with this tragedy. We don’t understand the evil that would take Somer from this earth but we trust that you have received her with open arms and that she suffers no more.
In Christ’s Holy name we pray. Amen
Florida, The dead beat dad capitol of the world and a place where every scumbag in America goes to hide.
“How awful. And her siblings are going to be scarred for life. She was walking home with a twin brother and 10 year old sister, and had a squabble about something, so little Somer ran ahead of the others.”
Will somehow need to mention this to my kids. And remember it myself! We all have times when we have arguments. Tragic to think that they won’t have the chance to say “sorry” and go back to being best buddies again.
Thanks for digging that up...161..I remember it having a 60 something in it. Outrageous.
Oh My God. There is such evil in this world.
My heart as a Mother is sinking right now. Why is evil permitted to exist on this planet? Who would do a sick thing like this, why?????? I hope justice is served for this child, may she rest in peace in the arms of the Lord.
It will haunt them for the rest of their lives no doubt.
There is also a missing college girl up in Virginia from VT. Wonder what is happening there.
“Seem to happen often in Fla.
Is this where the pedophiles go to hide?”
At least one is an appointee of Obama.
Obama appointee lauded NAMBLA figure
By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
10/01/09 12:40 PM EDT
Kevin Jennings, President Obama’s Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug FreeSchools at the U.S. Department of Education, is in hot water this week for having failed to report that a 15-year-old sophomore student in his school had told him of having sex with an older man.
But failure to report what appeared to be a case of statuatory rape of a child may be the least of Jennings’ worries. Lori Roman of Regular Folks United points to statements by Jennings a decade or more ago when he praised Harry Hay of the North American Association for Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), which promotes the legalization of sexual abuse of young boys by older men.....
Amen.
Honestly, having children this age walking a MILE each way to school seems like a bad idea, even apart from crime issues. This was a pair of 7 year olds and their 10 year old sister. Kids that age are easily distracted, and while a reasonably intelligent and responsible 10 year old should be able to watch a pair of 7 years at home, or very briefly away from home, a mile long walk is quite a but. What does the 10 year old do if one of the 7 year old gets a mind to run off and “hide” or to run across the street even though there’s traffic? Abandon the other 7 year old to go after the straying one? That’s essentially what this 10 year old was confronted with.
Poor baby. May God bless her and keep her near to him. May the killer(s) be brought to justice soon.
I did not need to hear this - it will color the rest of my day. My prayers to the family. I know God will welcome the little one. May the evil one be caught and killed while trying to escape. We don’t need to spend time on such filth. Take them out and kill them - feral dogs.
It's a big state
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