There are multiple cases going on or just finishing in court this week regarding adults and abused children. An arrest was made of a mom and dad who went to work and left their kids at home with no food, no electricity, and no water. The kids are in the care of a pastor. This happened in Cantonment. A couple of months ago, a couple was arrested in Milton for sleeping while their young toddlers were outside alone—one of them near a pond known for its snakes. The babies were soiled and unfed. It was alleged the mother was asleep and drunk when the little ones escaped the home. A neighbor told police she beat on the door and yelled for someone to come outside, but no one responded so she called authorities. Both parents were arrested.
A Milton man was sentenced on May 23 to a mandatory 25-year prison sentence for sexually molesting a five-year-old girl in 2011. Officials with the State Attorney's Office say Joseph Glen Savicki was renting a room at the home of the victim's mother and invited the child to watch a movie with him in his room. There, they say he did the unthinkable. Now he is designated a sexual predator and will spend the next 25 years of his life behind bars. He is 37-years old.
Speaking of sexual predators, a statement was issued today The Florida Action Committee, questions whether or not the law passed 20 years ago that formed the sexual predator and offender lists in each state—has been effective. It shows some states are showing sex crime numbers are up, despite the public notification and website registries for sexual predators and offenders. They note that some former offenders and their families are the focus of public shame, vigilantism, and what they call "extremely punitive restrictions for life while billions of dollars are being spent on enforcing sex offender management schemes that do not work."
Right here in Santa Rosa County, it is a fact that a sexual offender, on the FDLE registry website, until recently two weeks ago, had been operating a small apartment complex filled with children for at least two years. His crime? Lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 16. When authorities were questioned about notification practices and whether it was illegal for him to have access to children, Sheriff's officials said there was nothing to prevent him from being a manager there, even though any notifications that were made to the public had been made years prior when most of those residents were not living in the complex. By the way, we checked today. He has moved out of his apartment, according to the registry.
So what do you think? Is the registry a waste of time? Have you accessed it to check out your own neighborhood or possibly even someone you know?
Call, write, or find us on Facebook and let us know what you think.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Our View: Sex offender registry