MO: Registrant held on $25,000 cash-only bond for handing out candy on Halloween.
Prosecutors have charged Thomas Sanderson with one count of “failure to comply with Halloween related restrictions for sex offenders.”
As part of Missouri state law, registered sex offenders cannot go outside to interact with children, cannot have outside lights on and are required to post a sign stating no candy or treats are available at the home on Halloween night.
The Hazelwood Police Department received an anonymous tip that Sanderson had violated such orders on Halloween. According to a news release, when police arrived to the area, they noticed Sanderson setting up and interacting with an “extravagant” display. Surveillance footage later reviewed by police also showed Sanderson handing out treats to at least two children.
The Hazelwood Police Department acquired a warrant Wednesday for Sanderson’s arrest and officially took him into custody Friday. He is being held at the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $25,000 cash-only bond.
If the police have video of him passing out candy, then they also have video of him not harming the children.
$25,000 bond for a “civil infraction” because the registry is not punishment.
Great points!
They also have video of him “Breaking The Law” !!!. If you Break into a House, But don’t “Steal” anything, Are you “Free” or will you be Arrested for “Burglary” of a Structure !?!?!?. Yep, You still going to jail !!. Trust me, We ALL want to “DEFY THIS STUPID REGISTRY” , But choosing to March in the Streets is “LEGAL” , But BREAKING a Current WELL KNOWN AND ADVERTISED Law, is NOT the way to do it !!. I hope the Courts have PITY on him, But he will probably be “USED AS AN EXAMPLE” And Thrown Under The Jail/Prison !!. Breaking ANY laws, No matter how Stupid or “Against Our Rights” they are, Is NOT how to Fight this Fight !!. I don’t know How to FIGHT without LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of Money, But his way wasn’t smart !. It hurts ALL of us !!. I wish him the Absolute Best. And wish I could do more to help !.
And that was all I was trying to say as well. If he wants to be a martyr and fall on the sword, that is on him, but yes, this gives law enforcement more fuel to grandstand and make an example of him.
I understand the anger when one of us gets arrested, but if you want to buck the law, you are hurting every single one of us that is trying to do this the right way. Many of us are reaching threshold where we can petition to get removed, but when people make bad examples of how we act, it is not helping a single person.
The thing I do agree on, is a $25,000 cash bond is less than I have seen some accused homicide suspects get. I guess the way we are treated I am surprised they did not slap him with no bond. I for one do not have that money nor do my parents, NOR would I ask my parents to do that.
Who is bonding this guy out? Was taking a stand to hand out candy worth it? I am not a hypocrite, but I would have been more sympathetic to him if he was refusing to hang the no candy sign (While complying with not handing out candy). A judge may have been more understanding on the sign (As that is supposedly compelled speech). But now, I just wish him well, he has a long road ahead.
And no, I do not feel he helped our cause one bit. Just the opposite. When we become radicals, then we will not be taken seriously on any level. Again there are those in here who have agreed with me and some who have not, and it shows just how divided we are on some issues.
Again, I never said I agree that the guy (If off probation) should be banned from handing out candy, but if that is the ordinance, why do some say he did nothing wrong? I am allowed to hand out candy but I choose not to, that way no family that is out to get me can’t “set me up.” The guy was just asking for trouble.
“Hey, hey, yo, yo, the registry has to go” That is what we all agree on.
And call me whatever name you want, I am done on this subject, stay blessed. Don’t lose your mind over someone else’s mistakes.
F.A.C said they will use money to sue over the Halloween signs, and I agree with that. But I doubt they are going to fight for us to hand out candy. To me that is a waste of resources, the signs are not. Although I do not hand out candy, if the signs catch on, we could be next to get signs even though we already comply.
DONT FALL FOR ENTRAPMENT. Don’t pass go, go directly to jail otherwise.
Father God, please let his case shine a light on the life sentences that the ridiculous registry laws impose. Let true common sense prevail. 🙏
Nan Pat
Amen!
It’s my understanding that the laws referred to hear can’t be applied to individuals that were registered before the law was enacted. Not sure when that was.
#1 I do not agree with the ordinance.
However
#2 This person brought it upon themself knowing the consequences so Mister Sanderson will have to pay the price.
No judge is going to feel sorry for him. Again the laws, rules, ordinances and regulations that are yearly added to our “Non punishment” are insane and not right, but if we break the law, (Not accidently) but blatantly, how can we then have credibility?
I feel bad for him but whatever punishment he gets, he just made things worse for all of us. This is an example of what law enforcement will grand stand and show that “These sexual offenders never learn”. Did he commit another sex crime? No, but he had plenty of warnings and chose to ignore them.
Refusing to hang an offender sign in your yard is worth fighting for, Refusing to be able to give kids candy and come to your door is …………………being stubborn and defiant.
I disagree with you.. Maybe it is this individual intends to challenge these bullshit restrictions and forced speech. They have all kinds of evidence of him doing nothing at all wrong.. passing out candy and setting up a halloween display. Free country? Give me an f-ing break.
F
We can agree to disagree. There are fights related to the registry that all of us would walk to the gates of Hell to get rid of, but when you blatantly defy an ordinance, no judge is going to have pity on you and it makes it worse on all of us.
Ending in person registration, Ending the registry all together. Ending Notifications etc. are good causes. Getting arrested for giving out candy when you were ordered not to, is something to fight in front of a judge, not a jail cell. $25,000 bond, is FAC going to pay that for him? I thought not.
And any lawyer this guy hires is going to really stick it to him because that means challenging the ordinance which could take years.
Look, I am just stating the facts, the guy broke the law. Should be be sent to prison for handing out candy? No, but I didn’t write the law, the guy knew the law, and chose to be defiant. We can be radical all we want but that just makes us look like monsters. Every case I have ever won with the good old fashion way. I kept suing and suing and suing until I got high enough in the courts to get a judge who “Gets it”.
Final thoughts, you know the guy could be sitting home right now having a beer and watching a movie with his family (If he has one). Instead he is trying to come up with more money than I have made in 9 years.
Peace and I respect your opinion. There is a saying that is funny but true and it says “Do stupid things, win stupid prizes”. And that is what the guy did, it is on him. We all hate this burden but when one of us screws up, it effects all of us. None of us are perfect but we all have to use our brain.
Cherokeejack, yes we can agree to disagree. I respect a person for refusing to follow a law that is obviously unjust. Maybe he did it out of stupidity, or maybe he did it because he do not want to be pushed around anymore. I hope he chooses to fight the law because I believe that every battle is good for our cause. Maybe you are ok with the probation-like restrictions but I am not. I don’t care if it is just one night per year. I don’t consider that to be radical behavior. I think it’s civil disobedience. F*** the Registry and all the f****** that support it. No, I don’t expect FAC to bail him out.. he is in Missouri, not FL. and FAC is not in the business of making bail for us anyway.
CJ:
I rather think that it’s more along the lines of refusal to be ostracized from society than simply giving candy on Halloween.
This is exactly why “see something, say something (or in this intense – record it)” will always be used against us with vengeance. Some Karen with a savior complex just couldn’t mind her own business and just couldn’t resit spying on this guy.
And of course the cops live for this type of thing. Wow, they really did swoop in and “save the day” didn’t they?
CherokeeJack has a point regarding blatant disregard for the law. On the other hand, some audacity is needed in this movement. We’ve all seen times where valid claims are dismissed as “not ripe for challenge” or whatever other phrase used to say no harm was done because of this rule/law/ordinance, so there’s nothing to resolve. Unfortunately, that often translates into someone having to fall on the sword.
I hope this guy is able to hire an attorney or that there’s an anti-registry organization in Missouri that can help him. This statute can be fought.
589.426. Halloween, restrictions on conduct — violations, penalty. — 1. Any person required to register as a sexual offender under sections 589.400 to 589.425 shall be required on October thirty-first of each year to:
(1) Avoid all Halloween-related contact with children;
simply absurd. There are no restrictions of contact with minors on any other day.
(2) Remain inside his or her residence between the hours of 5 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. unless required to be elsewhere for just cause, including but not limited to employment or medical emergencies;
house arrest without probable cause. 4th Amendment violation, I would think.
(3) Post a sign at his or her residence stating, “No candy or treats at this residence”; and
Already defeated on 1st Amendment grounds.
(4) Leave all outside residential lighting off during the evening hours after 5 p.m.
compromises the home’s private security, potentially leaving its occupants open to vandalism and torts from passersby.
Any person required to register as a sexual offender under sections 589.400 to 589.425 who violates the provisions of subsection 1 of this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
There’s nothing in the statutes regarding bail amounts. But $25k for a misdemeanor is pretty excessive.
If he was such a threat to children, why did the police film him on Monday (Halloween, or do they do it over the weekend there?), wait until Wednesday to get the warrant, and then not arrest him until Friday? If he was really a threat, they should have arrested him on the spot when he was handing out candy.
Anthony
Having worked in law enforcement in the past, perhaps they had to meet with the attorney that represents the department/city and come up with charges that would stick. Getting their ducks in the row.
Meanwhile there were probably drive by shootings, robberies and other crimes happening that had a delayed response because half the department was on candy patrol enforcement. I have seen both sides of the law now and neither of them are good.
LEOs can legally get away with so much that the common citizen cannot. For example, here in Florida, one of our Sheriff’s (Not a sheriff’s deputy but THE sheriff) went on vacation off duty and forgot he had his concealed weapon on him. TSA caught him and decided to let him take his weapon to his car or store it in a locker.
The same week, same airport, a citizen with a concealed weapons permit, also forgot he had his weapon on him. You cannot have a permit unless you have no felonies, and this man was not a felon. But unlike the Sheriff, his forgetfulness led to a stay at the jail.
Incidents of entitlement are one of many reasons I left. I did not want to live the lie that so many cops, deputies, troopers and agents live.
My thoughts exactly!! This is yet more proof that these laws are punishment and NOT in the interest of safety.
Dustin
Good point, sounds like just good old fashioned harassment.
I would like to see him keep his mouth shut and this case go all the way to the Supreme Court. Many of the points made here are good points to make during litigation. I would also like to see a lot more publicity on this. Most of the people I have spoken to have no idea what all PFRs go through and are usually very surprised by what they find out.