Registered sex offender system flawed

State law says residents should know who lives next door, but criminals are slipping through cracks

Web posted June 29, 1998

By Meghan Gourley and Kevin Bonsor
Staff Writers

Georgia law guarantees residents the right to know if a convicted sex offender is living in their neighborhood, but the law doesn't protect residents from sex offenders who lie.

And the system for checking up on registered sex offenders doesn't always work as well as officials would like the public to believe, according to a recent investigation by The Augusta Chronicle.

Sex offenders

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•Richmond County offenders •GBI known offenders

There are only 16 registered, convicted sex offenders in Richmond County -- required by law to notify the sheriff's department where they live. But the sheriff's department only knows where 14 of them are.

Two have slipped through the cracks.

Those two, whose names, addresses and pictures appear on both the Richmond County Sheriff's Department list and the list published by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, do not live where they say they live even though officials tout close supervision aimed at making sure they don't commit more crimes.

``By our own policy, probation officers must visit a minimum of four times per month so they are able to assess the risk and visit with them at home and places of employment,'' said Chris Bigger, field support specialist for sex offenders with the state's probation division of the Department of Corrections. ``We spend a lot of time doing close supervision and surveillance so they don't create any other victims.''

But officials don't know where 19-year-old Gregory Stafford is living, even though he appears on the sheriff's department Web site as living at the Super 8 Motel on Gordon Highway. He was convicted of sexual battery in September 1997.

Augusta probation officer Will Little, who handles probation for all of Richmond County's sex offenders, said Mr. Stafford told officials he was leaving the Augusta area late last year to move to Detroit.

But Sgt. Tommy Dennis, who handles the registry for the sheriff's department, said Mr. Stafford won't be taken off the list until authorities in Detroit notify them, confirming he lives there. As of this week, Sgt. Dennis had not been notified by Michigan officials, and Mr. Stafford's whereabouts are unknown.

For all police know, he might be living in your neighborhood.

``We can't go out looking for these people,'' Sgt. Dennis said.

Georgia law requires sex offenders convicted after July 1, 1996, to notify the sheriff's department in the county where they are living. A probation or parole officer in that county is assigned the case and they are required by the Department of Corrections to check on the registered sex offenders every 5-7 days.

But Mr. Little said the last time he visited 20-year-old Shonna Monique Hisher at her Gerbing Road home was June 8 -- more than two weeks ago. A woman living at the address Ms. Hisher gave as her residence said Ms. Hisher does not live there. She was convicted of aggravated child molestation in 1996.

Mr. Little also said the last time he visited 39-year-old Raymond Thomas Hobbs of Dugas Hill, convicted of crimes against nature, was June 8, well past the five to seven day requirement.

Mr. Little said sex offenders initially are considered ``maximum risk,'' which requires officers to check on them four times a month, but probation officers can re-evaluate offenders and downgrade their risk to ``high'' if they believe a downgrade is appropriate. A ``high risk'' offender would be required to be visited only once a month.

However, Augusta chief probation officer Wyatt Windham said the department is gradually moving to a new monitoring system that would allow sex offenders' risk to be re-evaluated and downgraded, but currently probation officers should be visiting the registered offenders every five to seven days.

``With sex offenders, we have to be much more careful because they are the highest risk and they should be monitored at maximum supervision level,'' he said. ``They all should remain maximum risk.''

When Mr. Little learned Ms. Hisher wasn't living at the address she registered under, he said he'd immediately visit her. But the next day he acknowledged he had not visited her at her residence, but had called her on the telephone.

Of Richmond County's 16 registered sex offenders, 10 agreed to be interviewed by The Augusta Chronicle and nine said Mr. Little had been to see them within the last week. However, Robert Prince Walker, 33, convicted of sexual battery, said he never sees his probation officer.

Sex offenders have 10 days from the time they are sentenced to register with the sheriff's department. Crimes covered by the law include rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, child molestation, and several crimes against minors including kidnapping, false imprisonment, criminal sexual conduct, solicitation of a minor, use of a minor in a sexual performance or solicitation of a minor to practice prostitution.

``It's a good thing because it lets people know where they live, but we don't want people to be fooled into thinking they are safe because there is a list,'' Ms. Bigger said. ``There are plenty of people who were sentenced before July 1, 1996, who are not required to be on the list.''

If a sex offender does not register within 10 days, he can be charged with a misdemeanor. A second offense is a felony.

Although the registry is public record, it is not disseminated among neighborhoods or in the community except via the GBI and sheriff's department Web sites.

``If a resident wants to know, they can call me and ask about a particular street or area or if a particular person is on the list, but I won't run down the entire list for them,'' Sgt. Dennis said. ``We are not required to go around and post these things on billboards, so if you wanted to know, you'd have to look on the Internet or call.''

But as of Wednesday, the law will allow the sheriff's department to post the list in the department as well as in other government buildings in the county. The changes in the law also require the list to be made available to school officials upon request.

Augusta Circuit District Attorney Danny Craig said he feels the list is an effective tool in combating sex offenses.

``(Sex offenders) may think to relocate in a more populous area like Atlanta to be more anonymous rather than a less populated area like Augusta,'' he said. ``Everyone should have the reasonable expectation that no one in their community is a violent sex offender.''

But Victim's Assistance coordinator Sheila Stahl said she fears sex offenders manipulate the law and take advantage of loopholes to keep from being registered. A sex offender who is sentenced under the First Offender Act is not required to register. If the offender completes probation and other requirements such as community service, fines and restitution, the case becomes closed to the public. Only law enforcement agencies have access to it and the offender is never required to register.

``I can only imagine how much money defendants would pay their attorneys to get them first offender treatment to keep from registering,'' Ms. Stahl said.

Ms. Bigger said defendants also can plead ``no contest,'' which means the offender does not contest the charges, but refuses to admit guilt.

``By pleading (no contest), they are saying I plead to it, but I didn't do it,'' Ms. Bigger said. ``Denial is the biggest problem among sex offenders and this only reinforces that they didn't do anything wrong.''

Staff Writer Albert Ross contributed to this report.