Would you buy a house next to a known sex offender?

[mama2cntrykids]

Not a chance.

[caitlinsmom]

So here is the information I have been able to find today.

 

The house is not his. It is owned by his elderly parents (mid eighties). On his record he has multiple gross vehicle weight infractions so my guess he is a trucker and he uses his parents address while he works.

 

From the record I found that the lewd conduct was against his daughter (or step). The prosecution originally filed 3 counts of sexual abuse with a minor then dropped the charges to one count of lewd conduct. Both he had his wife had restraining orders against each other at this time with a divorce filed. He was denied contact with the daughter but not other family members.

 

I was hoping that I could find some sort of frat boy history but that is not the case. I spoke with the realtor this morning. She was under the impression the house had been empty for many months. It does appear empty so it may be that the house is in his parents names still, they are deceased, and he just uses the address. I don't know.

 

I had horrible, horrible nightmares last night because of all this....

[Harriet Vane]

So here is the information I have been able to find today.

 

The house is not his. It is owned by his elderly parents (mid eighties). On his record he has multiple gross vehicle weight infractions so my guess he is a trucker and he uses his parents address while he works.

 

From the record I found that the lewd conduct was against his daughter (or step). The prosecution originally filed 3 counts of sexual abuse with a minor then dropped the charges to one count of lewd conduct. Both he had his wife had restraining orders against each other at this time with a divorce filed. He was denied contact with the daughter but not other family members.

 

I was hoping that I could find some sort of frat boy history but that is not the case. I spoke with the realtor this morning. She was under the impression the house had been empty for many months. It does appear empty so it may be that the house is in his parents names still, they are deceased, and he just uses the address. I don't know.

 

I had horrible, horrible nightmares last night because of all this....

 

Many thoughts.

 

If the house belongs to elderly parents, there is a real chance that he could inherit and potentially live there, especially if he is currently using it as a mailing address.

 

It is very, very difficult to prove pedophilia, and often the actual charges do not reflect the reality. (Charges are usually under-representative of the reality.) Based on the information provided, he sounds like a bona fide pedophile. Statistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that the daughter was/is his only victim, though he may not have been caught with any other children.

 

It is standard (though totally idiotic) in child abuse cases for the abuser to be restricted from access only to his known victims, but not to children in general. The fact that he was restricted only from his daughter is not a reflection of his actual crimes, but of the fact that they could only prove crimes against one child and do not legally have the right to restrict access to other children. Typically an offender has to have abused many children and been convicted more than once to have their rights restricted in this way. Statistically, though, most pedophiles have multiple victims over a span of many years.

 

Under these circumstances there is no way I would buy this house.

[caitlinsmom]

Many thoughts.

 

If the house belongs to elderly parents, there is a real chance that he could inherit and potentially live there, especially if he is currently using it as a mailing address.

 

It is very, very difficult to prove pedophilia, and often the actual charges do not reflect the reality. (Charges are usually under-representative of the reality.) Based on the information provided, he sounds like a bona fide pedophile. Statistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that the daughter was/is his only victim, though he may not have been caught with any other children.

 

It is standard (though totally idiotic) in child abuse cases for the abuser to be restricted from access only to his known victims, but not to children in general. The fact that he was restricted only from his daughter is not a reflection of his actual crimes, but of the fact that they could only prove crimes against one child and do not legally have the right to restrict access to other children. Typically an offender has to have abused many children and been convicted more than once to have their rights restricted in this way. Statistically, though, most pedophiles have multiple victims over a span of many years.

 

Under these circumstances there is no way I would buy this house.

 

My thoughts exactly.

[Jpoy85]

House in parents names is done to avoid taxes when the area gives a substantial discount to seniors. If that is his registered address, you should call the local police dept and get the real story. Does he live there, is he in prison now, what? Shame on that realtor for not giving you the facts.Who is selling the house?

 

yeah but if the Realtor openly says " here is the beautiful updated kitchen, oh by the way theres a SO next door"- who would buy the house? They make money off selling the house.

[caitlinsmom]

House in parents names is done to avoid taxes when the area gives a substantial discount to seniors. If that is his registered address, you should call the local police dept and get the real story. Does he live there, is he in prison now, what? Shame on that realtor for not giving you the facts.Who is selling the house?

 

The realtor had no idea until I called her this morning. The house has been used as a rental for quite some time but the tenants recently moved out. She has only been out to the house once and that was in the early summer when she listed it. She thought the neighbors house was vacant.

 

The realtor called the police department. They can not reveal any information other than was was listed on the SO registry site or the Idaho Repository site (where I found his records). They can not tell us if he is actually physically living there or not as it goes against privacy laws. Looking at his record somehow there is still activity going on with the most recent case. OTSC hearings have been rescheduled for months with the newest date set for end of the year. I'm not sure what all that would mean on a case that he already did time for.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

No, never. Unless you can prove that the information is out dated and there is someone else who lives there, no.

[Guest submarines]

So here is the information I have been able to find today.

 

The house is not his. It is owned by his elderly parents (mid eighties). On his record he has multiple gross vehicle weight infractions so my guess he is a trucker and he uses his parents address while he works.

 

From the record I found that the lewd conduct was against his daughter (or step). The prosecution originally filed 3 counts of sexual abuse with a minor then dropped the charges to one count of lewd conduct. Both he had his wife had restraining orders against each other at this time with a divorce filed. He was denied contact with the daughter but not other family members.

 

I was hoping that I could find some sort of frat boy history but that is not the case. I spoke with the realtor this morning. She was under the impression the house had been empty for many months. It does appear empty so it may be that the house is in his parents names still, they are deceased, and he just uses the address. I don't know.

 

I had horrible, horrible nightmares last night because of all this....

 

False accusations during divorce are incredibly common. Just saying.

[Saddlemomma]

Nope.

[Harriet Vane]

False accusations during divorce are incredibly common. Just saying.

 

True. In this case, however, there is a criminal conviction that put him on the registry.

[Momof3littles]

With those charges, I would not buy the house (while I had children at home). With some 'sex offender' charges, I would be much more flexible. Some teenage streaking / underage dating / peeing in public stuff is different to me, but this is *clearly* child predation.

:iagree:

 

And then even if not an issue for you personally, I would not want to have to think about possible resale issues.

 

I totally get there are lots of pedophiles, etc. who are not registered and no one suspects, and that many people unfortunately have predators in their own families, etc. and statistically those situations can be riskier, but I would never willingly buy next to a sex offender.

Edited November 5, 2012 by Momof3littles

[4kidlets4me]

We were in a similar situation 2 years ago. We found a great house and when I checked the records there was a SO across the street. I say no way immediately. Way too much risk for my comfort level. The house never did sell and was eventually taken off the market.

[Guest submarines]

I guess I'm the only one here who would buy a house, even if there was a SO next door, if I loved the house and the neighbourhood, and the price was right.

 

Actually, since in Canada we can't easily check the registry, I wouldn't even be checking it. Anyone could be a SO, and many are never caught. For all I know there are SO next door here. I don't want to be paranoid about it, and this doesn't change my behaviour.

[Mommy22alyns]

I can't even say in nice words how strongly I feel about NOT doing this!

[Catwoman]

ime Police officers, corrections officers, parole officers, & military who do not have women or children in the home and do have a weapon.

 

Maybe, but probably only if they could buy the house at an incredibly low price, because let's face it, those police officers and military men have nieces and nephews and little brothers and sisters, and friends who will be bringing their kids over for barbecues. I'm sure they wouldn't particularly want to expose those kids to potential danger. And if those same policemen or military guys ever plan to get married, the SO issue would certainly be a serious consideration, as well.

 

I think the market for a home near a convicted SO is very, very limited.

 

Why would anyone intentionally buy that particular home if there were other homes available for a similar price, that didn't have a SO living next door? :confused:

[La Condessa]

You could not pay us any amount of money to move in next door to a sex offender.

Just because venomous snakes are more dangerous when camouflaged, doesn't mean it's a good idea to play with the colorful ones.

 

 

The prosecution originally filed 3 counts of sexual abuse with a minor then dropped the charges to one count of lewd conduct.

 

In this case, I guarantee you that this man did more than he was convicted of. Even when the investigators and attorneys involved in a case know absolutely that someone committed a crime, they can only prosecute crimes that they have the required legally admissible evidence for. If they filed for 3 counts of sex abuse and then dropped it to one lesser charge, then they knew of 3 counts (at least), but they didn't think that their evidence was good enough to stand up to a jury trial.

[PeacefulChaos]

Until 20 min ago I was ecstatic about a house we have the chance to purchase. That is until I found out the next door neighbor is a sex offender. I'm not even positive that he still lives there, it's just the last reported address.

 

His convictions were in 2003 for lewd conduct under 16 and two prior charges of molestation in the late 90's. He is in his late 40's.

 

I highly, highly doubt we will buy the house now (unless of course he has moved) but I was curious to know what others would do/thoughts.

 

Not with this definition, no.

I can think of reasons someone would be on the registry and I wouldn't care much. But this I'm not so sure, so I would probably just stay away.

[Ghee]

Would you be able to tell if they still live there?

 

I'd knock on the door and introduce myself "Hi, I'm Ghee. We were looking at the house next door, trying to meet some of the neighborhood." Big smile.

 

Then, if it was the sex offender, I'd cross that house off my list.

[kubiac]

I'd knock on the door and introduce myself "Hi, I'm Ghee. We were looking at the house next door, trying to meet some of the neighborhood." Big smile.

 

Then, if it was the sex offender, I'd cross that house off my list.

 

FWIW, I just attended a child-abuse prevention seminar, and the instructor confirmed that "last known address" is very often not correct. Sex offenders often list a relative's address, and then move elsewhere, or just move away and don't update.

 

I'm not saying you should buy it, but something to consider.

 

On the other hand, if you ever have to sell the house (or rent it), you're dealing with a house that, according to public databases, has a sex offender living next door. That's not going to do much for your asking price, although of course everyone's safety is the most important issue by far.

[NanceXToo]

I would make every effort to find out if they still lived there. And if they did or I couldn't confirm one way or another, there's no way I would knowingly move my children in next door to a sex offender. Ick.

[Trish]

Now do y'all actually check the s.o. registries before buyinga house? Obviously the OP did, but to everyone saying it's such an obvious decision, have you in fact checked before making your home purchases? Since there are many more unregistered offenders than registered, I'd say most neighborhoods (unless tiny) probably have one. Yeah, easier to take than the "next door" scenario, but I'm always amazed at the people who let their preteen kids roam the neighborhood unsupervised considering the likelihood of an offender being nearby.

[Nestof3]

Not your situation, but I would be willing to live next door to my ex-boyfriend (from when I was 16). He is a registered sex offender, but the specifics of his case do not concern me and my family. I do not view him as a threat.

[Mergath]

I wouldn't. It's not worth the stress.

 

We've had three (!!!) level-three SOs move in within five or six blocks of us in the last year. And there are two elementary schools in the same area. I'm much more paranoid now when I bring dd to the playground. Every time I see a guy standing around, I'm trying to figure out if he's one of the SOs.

 

I know that it's probable nothing will ever happen, of course. Dd isn't allowed outside without me, and she's been drilled in all the "don't talk to strangers, don't let anyone touch you there," stuff. But I'd much prefer to live in an area where it wasn't an issue. I'm so glad we're only renting, because if we owned the house and had to sell, I don't know how we ever would now.

[CatholicMom]

NO WAY. Sex offenders are notorious for being repeat offenders and with kids in the house I would not do it. It's a total bummer, but that is way too close. He is more likely to be a peeping Tom neighbor, who knows what. eek.

 

One thing you might want to consider in moving is looking in locations that are near a school because (at least in NY State), sex offenders aren't allowed to live within so many miles of a school, so you can be assured that a known sex-offender doesn't live there (as much as you can reasonably be sure), and one won't buy a house next to you, either.

Edited November 6, 2012 by TaraJo29

[TravelingChris]

I do check all houses before I rent or buy them. It hasn't been a problem with any of the ones I looked at and you can see my previous posts why. With my current house, I live within a 1/4 mile of a school so there is that. But anyway, there is no registered S.O. within a two mile radius. No, I don't worry. Even if there is a purveyor of child pornography or someone who abuses kids they have contact with, they aren't sitting at home, waiting to grab neighborhood kids. My kids are full grown and not easy to grab. Plus this area is full of retired folks and SAHM or retired SAHM so grabbing a kid is unlikely to be successful. But in that same manner, someone could grab me too. I just don't worry about it.

[VA6336]

I don't always trust Google, so would you share how to check for registered SO's? We bought our house this summer and it never occurred to me to look at that.

[Catwoman]

I guess I'm the only one here who would buy a house, even if there was a SO next door, if I loved the house and the neighbourhood, and the price was right.

 

Actually, since in Canada we can't easily check the registry, I wouldn't even be checking it. Anyone could be a SO, and many are never caught. For all I know there are SO next door here. I don't want to be paranoid about it, and this doesn't change my behaviour.

 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Seriously??? You would prioritize a really nice house over your children's safety? I can't even imagine that.

 

I know that there can be perverts and lunatics anywhere, but in the OP's case, this particular pervert is a known s*x offender who lives right next door to that lovely home, and that's way beyond "maybe there might be one in the area." I would never, ever put my child at risk because I liked a house or a particular neighborhood. In fact, I wouldn't even remotely like the neighborhood the minute I heard there was a registered SO there.

 

This isn't an issue of paranoia. It's a common sense issue, and I would think that, for most of us at least, common sense would indicate that it would be absolutely idiotic to intentionally move in next door to a convicted child molester. How would you ever feel safe letting your kids go outside? :confused:

 

Sorry to be so harsh, but it seems like you're living in a completely different reality than I am on this topic. (And I usually agree with you on other things!)

[caitlinsmom]

Now do y'all actually check the s.o. registries before buyinga house? Obviously the OP did, but to everyone saying it's such an obvious decision, have you in fact checked before making your home purchases?

 

Actually I came by the information by chance. In fact I hadn't even considered checking for SO's- it just wasn't on my radar.

In fact I was double checking average income, population, taxes, etc.

 

This afternoon we went back out to the house with the realtor. I wanted to get the scoop on the house next door, view property lines etc. We pulled into the driveway I noticed a travel trailer that looked like it was put up for winter. Nope, it was winterized for all season living. I figure he must stay there when he isn't driving truck. It was inches from the driveway of the house we were looking at.

 

So unfortunately we will be passing up a killer deal (and I do mean killer) on the house and now that the realtor knows, the people probably won't be able to sell it easily if it all. Which for them is especially sad as the house is in an estate that needs to sell to pay for the care of their 94yo mother.

 

However the blessing of not living in constant wonder and concern far out weigh how fantastic of a property it was. Oh well, another will come along that will work out better.

[caitlinsmom]

I don't always trust Google, so would you share how to check for registered SO's? We bought our house this summer and it never occurred to me to look at that.

 

If you are still in VA here is your link....

http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor/

[Catwoman]

I think you're doing the right thing by passing on that house, Kim. I hope you're able to find something even better (and safer!) very soon! :001_smile:

[Jpoy85]

NO WAY. Sex offenders are notorious for being repeat offenders and with kids in the house I would not do it. It's a total bummer, but that is way too close. He is more likely to be a peeping Tom neighbor, who knows what. eek.

 

One thing you might want to consider in moving is looking in locations that are near a school because (at least in NY State), sex offenders aren't allowed to live within so many miles of a school, so you can be assured that a known sex-offender doesn't live there (as much as you can reasonably be sure), and one won't buy a house next to you, either.

 

at our old apartment, it was less than 1mi from the school and the police wouldnt do anything about it, it was up to the landlord- thats why i was told one time when i called to find out because i thought OH had the same law?!

[Jpoy85]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Seriously??? You would prioritize a really nice house over your children's safety? I can't even imagine that.

 

I know that there can be perverts and lunatics anywhere, but in the OP's case, this particular pervert is a known s*x offender who lives right next door to that lovely home, and that's way beyond "maybe there might be one in the area." I would never, ever put my child at risk because I liked a house or a particular neighborhood. In fact, I wouldn't even remotely like the neighborhood the minute I heard there was a registered SO there.

 

This isn't an issue of paranoia. It's a common sense issue, and I would think that, for most of us at least, common sense would indicate that it would be absolutely idiotic to intentionally move in next door to a convicted child molester. How would you ever feel safe letting your kids go outside? :confused:

 

Sorry to be so harsh, but it seems like you're living in a completely different reality than I am on this topic. (And I usually agree with you on other things!)

 

I know i didnt and wouldnt put an apartment or house over my childrens safety but as i stated in my first post in this thread- You HAVE to take responsibility too, you cant seriously live in fear 24/7 and never let your kids outside or freak out about your neighbors, you have to TEACH your children what to look for and do in these situations.

[Hoot]

I would find out for absolutely sure if he lives there first. If not, I would buy the house. But, if he does, there is no way in h3ll. I would never feel safe letting my kid outside to play or to stay home alone.

[kalanamak]

Some teenage streaking / underage dating / peeing in public stuff is different to me, but this is *clearly* child predation.

 

:iagree:

[Catwoman]

I know i didnt and wouldnt put an apartment or house over my childrens safety but as i stated in my first post in this thread- You HAVE to take responsibility too, you cant seriously live in fear 24/7 and never let your kids outside or freak out about your neighbors, you have to TEACH your children what to look for and do in these situations.

 

I agree completely. I was just very surprised when sunflowers said she would buy the house if it was a lovely home in a great neighborhood. My feeling is anyone could turn out to be a pervert, so your kids need to know how to be careful, but if you already know there's a convicted offender in the neighborhood, I don't understand why anyone would intentionally move in next door to him. It seems very foolish to prioritize a pretty house over your children's safety.

[cin]

False accusations during divorce are incredibly common. Just saying.

 

This was my first thought. If there are no other reports/victims, I'd be highly suspicious of this. In a divorce, the wife could use the fact that dad stepped out of the shower and dd saw him.

[texasmama]

Absolutely not.

[kiana]

This was my first thought. If there are no other reports/victims, I'd be highly suspicious of this. In a divorce, the wife could use the fact that dad stepped out of the shower and dd saw him.

 

Yes. I do know someone who's a registered sex offender because his ex-wife was dropping off his daughter and they walked in early (w/o knocking) and caught him in a compromising position. He has some sort of lewd conduct in front of a minor conviction.

[Harriet Vane]

This was my first thought. If there are no other reports/victims, I'd be highly suspicious of this. In a divorce, the wife could use the fact that dad stepped out of the shower and dd saw him.

 

The thing is, this guy has an actual conviction. It is very, very difficult to get an actual criminal conviction for pedophile crimes.

 

There are two levels of justice for children who have been victimized by a pedophile. One is through juvenile court. Even within that context, there are still a couple levels at which an accusation like this can be handled. If the team (investigators, social workers, lawyers) feel that something happened but they cannot prove it, they can simply recommend services and try to ensure that DCFS is involved in the family. This involvement is kept confidential (legally). In other words--no s@x offender registry.

 

On the other hand, if they feel that they there is enough evidence to show abuse, they can go two directions. They can seek a juvenile court adjudication, which is kept absolutely confidential (no s@x offender registry). The adjudication like a trial, with a verdict, and it gives the team more of a right to intervene with measures like placing children in foster care. However, there is no punishment, and the offender is offered services for rehabilitation. Often there is still a goal for family reunification.

 

Another really important thing to understand about juvenile court adjudication is that it has a lower standard of proof than a criminal court conviction. It is hard to adjudicate on most pedophiles because there is often just not much proof. It is even harder--often downright impossible--to get a criminal conviction.

 

A criminal conviction requires a standard of proof that is really high. There usually has to be some combination of things like witness testimony and physical proof (marks on the body, damage, semen, etc.). Out of all the many, many accusations that come across a social worker's desk, only a very small percentage of them can be tried in a criminal court.

 

The bottom line--if there is a real criminal conviction of a pedophile crime, you can assume that it DID happen, and you should assume that there are more, hidden victims because that is the nature of pedophilia.

 

While false accusations in divorce can be common, false criminal convictions for pedophilia are rare.

[merry gardens]

nope.

[Mom25girls]

never.

[Catwoman]

The thing is, this guy has an actual conviction. It is very, very difficult to get an actual criminal conviction for pedophile crimes.

...

While false accusations in divorce can be common, false criminal convictions for pedophilia are rare.

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

 

And honestly, I wouldn't take the chance either way. If the guy who lived next door to a house I liked, had been accused of being a child molester but hadn't been convicted, I would still find another house. It wouldn't be worth taking a chance, just because I liked a particular house. I can find another house to like.