Warning: You could get arrested for obscuring the “Sexual Predator” stamp on your Florida Drivers License.
A registered sex predator was jailed in Clay County after he tried to alter his driver’s license to hide the words “sexual predator” on his driver’s license, a police report said.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said XXXXXX, 63, placed a sticker over the Sexual Predator decal on his license.
XXXXXX is charged with possession of an altered identification card by a sex predator, a felony.
Police were conducting an address check on XXXXXX on Sept. 21. When a deputy asked XXXXXX for his license, he complied, police said.
The deputy saw a sticker on the bottom right of the license and peeled it off, revealing the words “sexual predator”, the report said.
Sexual predators in Florida are warned not to alter their driver’s licenses. Police said XXXXXX knew he couldn’t alter his license because he’s signed sex offender papers dozens of times since 1995, when he was listed as a sex predator.
[FAC NOTE: We looked into the registrant. He has a single sexual offense from more than 20 years ago and nothing subsequent other than one registration violation. His crime was committed before the existence of the Florida registry]
And here all along I thought that a drivers license was a document to verify that we were qualified to drive a car. How disillusioned I have been! Was XXXXXX,63, being checked to see if he could ‘drive his home’?
Interesting… Looked up the statute and found the following, so not sure why he would be jailed:
322.15 License to be carried and exhibited on demand; fingerprint to be imprinted upon a citation.—
(1) Every licensee shall have his or her driver license, which must be fully legible with no portion of such license faded, altered, mutilated, or defaced, in his or her immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle and shall present or submit the same upon the demand of a law enforcement officer or an authorized representative of the department. A licensee may present or submit a digital proof of driver license as provided in s. 322.032 in lieu of a physical driver license.
(2) Upon the failure of any person to display a driver license as required by subsection (1), the law enforcement officer or authorized representative of the department stopping the person shall require the person to imprint his or her fingerprints upon any citation issued by the officer or authorized representative, or the officer or authorized representative shall collect the fingerprints electronically.
(3) In relation to violations of subsection (1) or s. 322.03(5), persons who cannot supply proof of a valid driver license for the reason that the license was suspended for failure to comply with that citation shall be issued a suspension clearance by the clerk of the court for that citation upon payment of the applicable penalty and fee for that citation. If proof of a valid driver license is not provided to the clerk of the court within 30 days, the person’s driver license shall again be suspended for failure to comply.
(4) A violation of subsection (1) is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318.
As you can see, Regular laws don’t apply to anyone on the Registery !!. I believe this opens the door to a major Lawsuit if the person has the money to hire a Descent Lawyer !!!. Charging one person a misdemeanor and another (registered) person a FELONY for the Same Crime is in itself ILLEGAL, As well as any other laws that Compounds the Charge against a Registered Citizen !!. There wasn’t even a “Legal” reason for the Cop to ask for his ID !! He was INSIDE his home !! It’s on their Database whether or not he has “Complied” with having the “Stamp” put on his license !!!!!. When is ENOUGH Going to be ENOUGH ?????. How can people stand aside and ALLOW this kinda CRAP to happen ??? Even if it is against a “Sex Offender or Predator !!!!!??????. According to the way the “Laws” are written here in Florida and most every other State, Everyone is a Sex Offender, They just haven’t been caught yet !!!!!. And if people started thinking about that before voting or allowing laws to be passed(Enforced) I believe things would change !!!! If everyone had to ask themselves, “What if this was ME ???” There is NO NEED for an Ex Offender to have a Stamp on their license, It’s only put there to PUNISH them . And he’s being PUNISHED for putting a Sticker over the Scarlet Letter Stamp !!!!. How can anyone say that the Registery and all its “Requirements” aren’t 100% PUNISHMENT ??????!!!!!. How can people ALLOW the GOVERNMENT to VIOLATE out CONSTITUTION so openly ?????. How can YOU(the person reading this post) read what is happening, See what is Happening, LIVE what is Happening and not Stand Up and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT !!!???????. I’ve started voicing the difference between Offenders and Predators, I’ve started voicing how soon EVERYONE will end up on the Registery !! I’ve started voicing how Ex Offenders DONT REOFFEND !!! And I’ve opened the eyes of a few people that didn’t know what was really happening !!!. If we ALL started voicing, Maybe things would change !!! .
This is a very serious attempt to totally make sex predators who have become successfull
So every bank transaction every time you have to show and Id on a credit card transaction or have to do work in a gated community
Florida system is out of control
And the sex predator stamp just started. I used to just have a number
That only pertains to offenders now
And this is definitely EX POST FACTO for me
I can’t stand up and fight back. I have no money because I have no job because my license is marked. I’ve been out of prison 16 years and have always worked except for this last year because of my license. Sad very sad.
Perhaps there is a specific statute dealing with RSOs concerning licenses? Also, I find it a little comical that the statute says you can submit a photo copy of the license….
There is nothing on our stipulations about not putting a sticker on our driver’s license, (even after they made us go down and get new drivers licenses with that status printed at the bottom right corner) when we go to registration at the sheriff’s office every quarter or bi-annual registration, I have copies of every one of my sex offender requirements sheets that I have initialed and signed every time I’ve registered, nothing at all, and my lawyer has copies of them
Certainly the FL statute says you cannot alter the ID card but it is a non moving violation! Not a felony!
Karen,
what ever happened to this case ?
https://floridaactioncommittee.org/warning-get-arrested-obscuring-sexual-predator-stamp-florida-drivers-license/
Not sure – I think the person posting here as Arrested For Sticker On License is the man that was arrested – if it is he says it is still in process and they are still charging it as a felony
I don’t see how putting a sticker that is removable qualifies as Altered! It’s different if you actually changed or tampered with the actual license. A sticker might obscure the original but so does a wallets ID holder! Mine actually does so you can’t even see the designation unless you pull the License out. What happens if it’s dirty scratched or faded in that are?
I don’t drive so I never carry my driver’s license. Instead I carry my U. S. Army Retired ID (DD Form 2) which has my full legal name, date of birth, and picture. Isn’t that all I need if not in or on a motorized vehicle?
They ask every time they do an address verifcationto see your license even though they have you picture on th paper
Larry,
you do not have to answer the door when they come knocking
But if you dont ive been threatened with them going around house to house to get people to sign if i live there or not. Even when I have scheduled travel even less than two days i go to the sheriff and advise and still they end up at my door the days its listed i wouldnt be there. How is this not harassment?
You have 3 weeks to respond to this. If no contact is made then the leo is supposed to leave some type of contact information.
Anything more i would deem as harassment.
How do you respond to a missed doorknock? I am so overcompliant with all this and still get grief!
Again proving that the sex offender/predator classification is nothing more than SOCIAL SHAMING on the most childish level.
Just as signs posted on the lawn…photos and addresses posted on a public registry website…and all the other shaming methods LE and politicians can come up with.
Stupid just like the Florida government.
like i said a few years ago i sure hope the ACLU picks this up as i feel it is compelled speech!
but it is a sex offender law and Florida so expect ACLU to do not much
John Doe, The ACLU has stepped up for registrants probably more than any other organization. Judging from your last post and this one, you are very uninformed. You should use this site to educate yourself, not as a forum for your frustration.
I was under the impression that it was FAC Challenging these laws in Florida so you are saying it is actually the ACLU?
FAC is not a law firm. We are not attorneys. We are an advocacy organization. We are represented by licensed attorneys in challenges we bring.
Doe v. Miami-Dade is the Federal Lawsuit pending in the Southern District of Florida challenging the Sex Offender Residency Restrictions. We (and Does) are represented by the ACLU (both Miami and National Chapter participate in this challenge).
The ACLU represented us at the trial level and on appeal (which we won). They filed the case in 2014 and have been litigating it for going on 3 years now, covering everything from attorneys to expert witnesses to filing fees. The attorneys they have on this case have bent over backwards for our population! Literally walking around the encampment by the tracks after nightfall to accommodate the circumstances!
Do you know which organizations funded Doe v. Snyder? I’m sure you don’t, or else you wouldn’t knock them… It was the ACLU of Michigan and the University of Michigan Clinical Law Program.
Do you know which organizations submitted amicus briefs in Packingham v. North Carolina? I’m sure you don’t either… Among them were the ACLU and the ACLU of North Carolina.
The ACLU is among THE staunchest advocates for civil rights (including OUR civil rights) that has ever existed and anyone who says “the ACLU isn’t doing anything” or “why doesn’t the ACLU…” is incredibly uninformed.
Maybe you should consider a donation to them, Mr. Doe?
Well Said !!! We’re lucky to have the ACLU to help us !!!. And I say this directly to the ACLU, Please don’t let the Ramblings of Ignorant people detour you from Anything you’re doing to help win this crazy war against us !!. There are many many on you’re side that are blessed to have you, And the few that “Don’t know any better” need you too !!. So keep it up. You’re appreciated more than you will ever know !!!!.
Understand that this is not a single battle in one place, but a war that includes many battles. If we can’t win a battle here, then we can win a battle elsewhere. The battles won elsewhere, can further weaken the tougher battles here. These are strategies of war. If you have a huge monster(the system) with big arms and teeth, then you go for the legs and bring it to its knees. From there, you attack the weak points piece by piece until its strengths are weakened and there is nothing left “eventually”. Many wars and battles last a long time, some may surprise you and be done with the next day.
There are people fighting this in many places and we have won some important battles. Patience, the monster lost its legs and it’s down on its knees, but it is still trying to fight back with its arms and teeth. Let’s see if it loses at least an arm in 2017-2018. Who knows, it might even lose both it’s arms and even its head.
I have a question, if you have 3 offenders living in the same apartment and one of their probation officers stop in to do a check on their probationer does that same probation officer have the right to question about another roommate’s probation conditions or go into their room and search it. How far are probation officers allowed to go?
Probation officers represent the department of corrections and all probates are under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections. All probates have to comply with searches at will and the one probation officer will simply claim he was acting on behalf of the department or the other officer. The common areas and areas belonging to probates are subject to search. Any private areas belonging to persons not on probation (like a bedroom) aren’t subject to search. Best practice would be for each person to have a locked bedroom door and other residents not have access to his or her private space. That would reduce the chance of a surprise search when you aren’t home and also reduce the chance a roommate places something in your room to conceal it then it gets blamed on you.
It’s plain as day people. Come on, you’re smarter than that. They just want to harass & scare the S@#T out of him and make it a very, very unpleasant and expensive experience for him. The charges will be lowered or dropped.
I’m sorry, But your WRONG about the charges getting lowered !!. I’ve known a couple guys that have been arrested for the same charge(Registery Requirements with same penalty) and the charges STAYED a 2nd Degree FELONY !!. They BOTH did jail time and several years Probation (Again) !!! As long as there is a way for the States to make money, Things will NOT change !!. LE Trump (no pun intended) up ways to charge a EX Offender for ANYTHING to get them back into “The System” !! This makes their claim of “Dangerous RE-OFFENDS” look good !!!!.
http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/MonitorDocs/Reports/pdf/1516rpt.pdf Address verification once a year is what State Law states, and in person registration twice or four times a year, complies with the federal mandate of SORNA.
I am thankful for any organization that takes a stand against the constitutional criminality exercised by many of our bureaucrats. One day this battle will be won and we will have organizations like FAC, NARSOL, and the ACLU to thank. I look forward to the day that I can get into my car and take that ‘nostalgia’ trip I have long been planning in my mind.
The ACLU will not help you in all instances, I wrote to them and told them about my case of being arrested for an American Legion sticker on my driver’s license, they declined to take the case, it’s 7 months now since arrest and it is still being tried as a felony
@ArrestedForStickerOnLicense I thought of you Friday night as my back was hurting and I went to a Massage (legit) place. First thing the ask for was my drivers license. I would have been mortified showing it. My heart goes out to you. I dont know what I would do if they did that to sex offenders. Find a job I can work from home and have Amazon deliver everything to me or would it be the last straw?
Stay strong my brother.
@ArrestedForStickerOnLicense I know what is it like to have that label on for over 20 years. In August it was 21 years. I understand all to well about trying to find a job. I did start my own company and that lasted for 13 years. But I did lose business when someone found out. I have lived in the same house now for 18 years, yes I have been shunned by some put most of my neighbors are my friends. I never had the sheriff come out and pass out flyers. I guess I am fortunate.
Omg
I hate this myself, was given a brake because i knew nothing about obstructing or defacing id or drivers license. have not been mistreated or harassed. guilty or innocent deal with it, you have the title. the pen is mightier than the sword, it may take time just don’t give up the fight. we were arrested because someone pointed the finger at us and the cops came running, if one of us called the cops i am sure they will come running. stop complaining and man up. it is what it is. religious or not God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change the strength to change the things that we can and the wisdom to know the difference. to sum it all up just make the best of a bad situation. i have a place to stay, a job, just sold one car and got a new one. the bare necessities.
Does anyone know any case law for this issue? I read somewhere where it was put into law so LEOs could identify you And was a “discrete mark” for law enforcement use but can’t find that.
Anyone??
322.212 Unauthorized possession of, and other unlawful acts in relation to, driver license or identification card.—
(5)(c) It is unlawful for any person designated as a sexual predator or sexual offender to have in his or her possession a driver license or identification card upon which the sexual predator or sexual offender markings required by s. 322.141 are not displayed or have been altered.
(6) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, any person who violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
Can the sex offender designation be removed from my florida drivers license
I read that the Supreme Court of Louisiana just ruled that sex offender designation on drivers licenses is unconstitutional. Will that case help sex offenders in Florida?