This is what Marion County’s scare creates…
Marion County recently launched a campaign of posting warning signs at schools and visiting all the county’s registrants.
The hysteria they are creating has prompted individuals to create their own signs. See the article below:
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A Marion County woman wants everyone to know that a sexual predator lives in her neighborhood.
Karin Ahrman put signs in her front lawn and on telephone poles to warn everyone that ______________ lives on NE 23rd Avenue in Ocala.
There is nothing illegal about what Ahrman is doing because the information can be found on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s website.
“I nailed them on every telephone pole in the neighborhood,” Ahrman said. “I was molested at 4. I was raped at 12. You don’t get over it. Someone has to be here and be the voice for the voiceless.”
There’s nothing illegal about the sign, but Deputy Paul Bloom said Ahrman could still end up in legal trouble if something goes wrong.
“If this person, this sex offender was attacked and that person was determined that they attacked him because they heard that they were a sex offender, certainly there’s going to be some civil liability there,” Bloom said.
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NOTE: Interesting the Deputy sees the registrant getting attacked as a foreseeable scenario here!
Attacking a sex offender is a hate crime. We should also be declared a minority.
So this woman was unfortunate enough to be molested not once but twice.
I think she should take out that anger on her clearly irresponsible parents and leave this poor unfortunate individual alone!
Put the blame where it belongs (the parents) and NOT on a total stranger you have never even met!
This lady is part of the ‘victim mentality’ that infects so many nowadays. I have always been taught and subsequently learned through experience that we cannot always control what happens to us in life but we can control how we respond. She is trying to punish someone who had absolutely nothing to do with her experience. This RSO in her neighborhood may be an absolutely decent individual who has paid the price for personal failure and is trying to be a responsible individual. This is the kind of act that the Bible talks against when it tells us not to judge. This lady is drawing conclusions about this RSO and doesn’t even know him. Acts such as her’s are good reasons to seal records once a sentence has been completed and allow only law enforcement have access.
Isn’t there a Florida law that says she cannot alter the FDLE flyer info? By putting the “children beware” stuff on there (other than being a dramatic scare tactic) and the info about the color of his vehicle (I know the tag information is on the FDLE site but I do not think a description is) does that not constitute altering the info? And if not, what does count as altering the info?
Also, I do not know the facts of either case but I would be willing to bet that in both cases it was not stranger danger….not that that is ok but it does make a big difference.
So now are the police going to wait and see if the RSO gets hurt to do anything?
Maybe involvement of some of our other Florida agencies such as the commission on human relations which deals in discrimination would be in order? I’m still a big fan of having rso’s listed as minorities. That designation would offer a host of protections that we currently do not have.
Funny thing is she doesn’t know how foolish she sounds. If running around town posting signs of people she knows nothing about is how she is dealing with that kind of untreated, decades old trauma then she’s the one to steer clear of, not those folks on some meaningless signs. Since it is well known that without any kind of therapy or treatment abusers often abuse, she poses just a great a risk as anyone.
There is NO disclaimer stating misuse of registry information is a crime so I assume it must be legal to harass registered persons in FloriDUH?
Derek, the lack of a disclaimer on the state level does not override the fact that it is a hate crime to harass and RSO as a federal matter.
I don’t believe it qualifies as a “hate crime” as registrants are not viewed as part of a suspect class. Generally, a suspect class is gender, race, religion, national origin and to a certain extent sexual orientation.
Harassment, assault, battery and other forms of vigilantism can still be crimes when committed against any individual, they just would not qualify as a hate crime.
Obama designated violence against rso’s a hate crime shortly after taking office.
Please share the documentation where you see this. A link or citation works.
Obama also made it impossible for us to travel outside the USA.
This is not an untrue statement. Politics plays a HUGE role in our continued punishment. Even a withheld adjudication doesn’t help.
Whether it ‘qualifies’ as a ‘hate crime’ or not, the results are the same.
For the victim, yes. For the perpetrator, no.
Why are you arguing? It’s a hate crime because perpetrators do it from a hate stand point. It don’t give a damn what the legal definition is. It’s still a hate crime!
Notice of Criminal Violation
MISUSE OR MATERIAL ALTERATION OF PUBLIC RECORDS INFORMATION OR DISTRIBUTING FALSE INFORMATION:
Any person who:
misuses public records information relating to a sexual predator, as defined in s. 775.21, or a sexual offender, as defined in s. 943.0435 or s. 944.607, to secure a payment from such a predator or offender;
knowingly distributes or publishes false information relating to such a predator or offender which the person misrepresents as being public records information;
materially alters public records information with the intent to misrepresent the information, including documents, summaries of public records information provided by law enforcement agencies, or public records information displayed by law enforcement agencies on websites or provided through other means of communication, commits a misdemeanor of the first degree. {Section 775.21(10)(c), Florida Statutes}
Karen, thank you for this info. It is time the registry starts being used for law enforcement matters and not as an instrument to ‘tar and feather’ an RSO.
http://jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/042205/D89K7VA00.shtml
Thank you for this link
Of course the vigilante who proposed these signs accepts no responsibility for this man’s death. This is the way that “do-gooders” operate. The can see no further than their paranoia and hype lets them see. They have never taken the time to ‘clutter’ their minds with facts. One day these ‘unforgiving judges’ will be held accountable.
Actually, it is against the law to post signs on right away (next to the road) and upon utility poles. Marion County Fl. considers signs litter Marion County Fl. Ordinance Chapter 16, Article 3 section 16.1 (per recent telephone conversation with Marion County Code Officer)
https://library.municode.com/fl/marion_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH16SOWA_ARTIIILIJU
it is considered liter
now if someone wants to find the person that admitted to posting this address and file complaint or many people can Marion county code complaint number and address is: Address: 2710 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL 34470
Phone: (352) 671-8900
also, it is against federal regulations:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/1.1420
i did not go check who to complain to at the fed level but perhaps we could locate this person’s address and have 50-100 people call or write and complain maybe an example could be made out of this person.
also i did not look at the fdle website but i’m sure there is something on there about altering/misuse of the flyer
if you want to start fighting back and raise a stink, perhaps this is the case to do it on!
Even 5 years ago the same issues were being brought up….
http://www.corrections.com/news/article/30086-there-s-hope-even-for-sex-offenders