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Parole agents have identified at least 33 registered sex offenders in Ventura County who must move because they live too close to schools or parks, a restriction approved by voters in November.
The restriction, which bars sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of places where children gather, applies only to those paroled since Proposition 83 was passed. In Ventura County, about 45 sex offenders have been paroled back into the community since November, said Ed Freeman, district administrator of the regional parole office in Oxnard. "We're going to take a look at all of them, but the preliminary indication is that 33 are living too close to parks and schools," Freeman said.
Freeman said his office received a list last week of potential violators from the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Officials checked the listed addresses of the nearly 5,000 parolees released statewide since November and found many were in violation of the new restriction.
Agents are verifying addresses and using Global Positioning System units to measure distances between a parolee's front door and the edge of any nearby school or park property, Freeman said. Those in violation will have 45 days to move.
Finding new housing will be a problem, he said. "Housing in this area is a problem for everybody, but especially this particular group," Freeman said. "People don't want them in their neighborhoods."
Studies show the risk of re-offending drops with a stable residence, Freeman said.
Courts have ruled the new law applies only to sex offenders paroled since the proposition, also known as Jessica's Law, passed. The initiative was named after a 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and suffocated by a convicted sex offender in 2005.
Maps illustrating the potential impact in Ventura County show two-thirds of the 1,100 local registered sex offenders are currently living in areas off limits under the new law.
The law also applies to Ross Wollschlager, the first designated sexually violent predator conditionally released back into the county. Because he was under civil commitment, Wollschlager is not on parole but under the state Department of Mental Health's supervision.
Wollschlager was convicted, then civilly committed to Atascadero State Hospital for raping two women and molesting a child under 14 in Ventura County in the 1980s. Civil commitment allows a person who has completed prison time to remain in confinement for continued treatment.
A state contractor hired to monitor Wollschlager and 12 other sexually violent predators on conditional release statewide is having difficulty finding a permanent placement for the 44-year-old Ventura man. Since Wollschlager was released Aug. 9, he has been moved five times — from hotels in Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Ventura. He is under 24-hour supervision and is wearing a GPS tracking device.
Posted by cabral on August 23, 2007 at 5:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
lets build a compound and they can all live and do eachother dam pervs!
Posted by Freedom1 on August 23, 2007 at 6:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow! That means that the two that live in my neighborhood will have to move. Great for all the kids that live here. Good riddance!
Posted by AnaCapa on August 23, 2007 at 7:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, I guess the sex offenders who were paroled before proposition 83 was passed, get to stay where they are and continue to be a threat to the kids in the neighborhood. That doesn't make sense to me. Please check the Meagan's Law website to find out if any registered sex offenders live in your neighborhood. www.meganslaw.ca.gov
Posted by slkrchck on August 23, 2007 at 9:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
don't forget. those are just the convicted ones. and many more have their names removed. there are exemptions. my neighbor had his removed when the site became available to the public a few years ago. he was ashamed. he is still a registered sex offender with a penchant for young girls. he just gets to have his name obscured. i know of many many in the south oxnard area. these parents wont report. they fear authority. i am obliged to report, but when the parents aren't cooperative, it's difficult for a conviction. if you look at this neighborhood. there are only one or two registries. let me assure you, it is incorrect.
Posted by Jacksprat on August 23, 2007 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
All sex offenders must not live close to schools, but not all sex offenders have anything to do with kids. There are those who have raped a grown women. So now we place all sex offender in one class that is they all are after little kids. Something is wrong here. A man who has raped a grown women can live in a community that has no kids but lost of women.
Again Commen sense has gone out the window.
There need to be somekind of method to determine where each of them can live,now all dumped into one bunch. You do know that there are women in jail as sex offenders.
Posted by surfmedic91 on August 23, 2007 at 9:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How about the guy that lives on Main St. across from Lincoln Elementary in Ventura, lurks in the shadows at Surfer's Point at night, and works at ARC? I wonder if he is on the list. If not, he needs to be.
Freedom1, that's only if they're on the list.
Posted by nelle2hot on August 23, 2007 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is a serious issue. American children are in serious danger. Once they attack they continue to harbor this same sick impulses and are a serious threat to children and society. Worse, they tend to congretate in poorer neigborhoods, like the West end of Ventura, as the hispanic community is less likely to be educated about the sex offender residents and get them out as would a community such as Thousand Oaks would know and get them out. All American children, rich or poor should not have to live with these perverted monsters in their communities. They should be left in prison. If they are let out, these monsters should be tracked 24/7 GPS and the Police/Sheriff's department have to make sure they are not allowed to be a threat to any children in ANY community. I live in a low income neigborhood, I have access to the computer and looked at the Meghan's Law website, and know exactly what perverts are in my neigborhood, one live across from my daughter's window. We set up signs and he "knew" the jig was up, we wanted him OUT. He left. If the police and the law will not protect American children, we have to educate ourselves, and DO SOMETHING.
Posted by slkrchck on August 23, 2007 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
guess what nelle2hot........you DON'T know exactly what perverts are in your area. what about the lady across the street? is she an offender? are you certain? these "perverted monsters" aren't always just a part of the community, they are quite often in the next bedroom. has the little girl reported her daddy or mommy yet? or her 13 year old brother? my neighbor is a very well liked gentleman. he has a good job and his wife and son are well respected upstanding citizens. he's concerned about the goings on in our neighborhood watch and reports some of the scavengers on trash day and the underaged drinkers across the street. when the megan's law site was made available, his name was on there. he has since had it removed, but everyone now knows of his past. they were very shocked because he doesn't lurk in dark corners or peek in your windows. still, he's a registered sex offender and always will be. he's done prison time and will continue to do so.
while you're educating yourself, try to realize that not all offenders are on the site. maybe your neighbor is gone, but he's just the one you know about. don't fool yourself into thinking you area safe now. besides. there's always a first time.
my own molestor has not molested again. he doesn't seem to be a serious threat to children or society. it's been 35 years and even though i'm sure he hasn't done it, i'm sure to keep him close enough to watch, but far enough away from my own child. but i don't watch him any closer than i wuold watch anybody. even you, darlin'.
Posted by senorbriar on August 23, 2007 at 10:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
These guys have to live somewhere. I understand the "not in my neighborhood" mentality, but whats going to happen when guys like Wollschlagger and others run out of places to live?? Are they going to be cruising the county in some mobile motorhome going from one Wal Mart to another, or sleep in the Ventura Riverbed, or sleep under a bridge somewhere?? Then how safe will you feel? There needs to be a solution to this housing issue and law enforcement needs to take a leadership role in this...otherwise this lack of sex offender housing will make the community a more potentially dangerous. We can't run them out of town, they have always lived amongst us and will continue to do so. The D.A., county probation/parole, cops, city/county managers need to get on the same page and fast. When there is a public crisis, citizens look toward government for leadership...someone needs to address this issue fast.
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