Ludington's Registered Sex Offenders: Homeless and Unmonitored

[XLFD]

It's been about a year and a half since the Ludington Torch has reported on the status of our area's Registered Sex Offenders.  This topic was first touched upon in February of 2010 with the thread sex-lies-and-vigilantes and then later in June of 2011 in this thread ludington-landlords-on-patrol, and checked out Scottville's situation in December of 2011 with the thread scottville-gets-ludingtonized-rental-rehab-and-rental-registering. 

                                     Ludington Police Chief Mark Barnett, Freelance Lawmaker

 

I have this interest in RSOs because of an odd local policy crafted by Ludington Police Chief Mark Barnett and passed into law by the city council in October 2007 which put the responsibility of determining whether registered sex offenders are living within 1000 ft. of a school squarely on Ludington landlords, then later in 2012, on Scottville landlords.  Other communities use their local police to monitor such activity.  What a concept.

 

My first reaction is that it's a dumb policy, and will eventually have an unintended consequence of having more RSOs living in forbidden areas, if the local police leave the police work to landlords who may be ignorant of the law, ignorant of their distance to the nearest school property, or ignorant as to whether a RSO is on their property when they themselves live outside Ludington.   

 

Back in 2010, there were six RSOs within school zones, contrary to the chief saying there weren't any at a city council meeting.  In June 2011, there were still six and three of them were brand new to the list.  This went down to five in December 2011 with a homeless person in the mix.

 

It is now April 2013, five and a half years after the ordinance and what do we have?  An exponential growth in the number of homeless or "address unknown" RSOs in Ludington.  We now have twelve RSOs either within 1000 ft. of a school, living at an unknown address, or homeless.  That is very troubling.  Here is a list:

 

 

If you know one or more of these people, or are one yourself, I am making no value judgment on any of them just because they made the list.  They may be fully rehabilitated or erroneously labeled, but they are either within a school safety zone or are a homeless person who just happens to have that RSO tag on them.  I do make a value judgment on our local policy, however; it needs to be repealed and the local police need to own up to their responsibilities, that the State has laid in their laps.

 

There were no homeless or whereabouts unknown RSOs back in early 2010 when Chief Barnett said erroneously that there were none in any school safety zones.  There are now four living in apartments in those zones, and eight who could be living anywhere in Ludington, without a home. 

 

But is it tough all over?  Let's take a look at two other cities in the area with similar populations of Ludington but without some ordinance that absolves their police officers from the responsibilities of checking out where RSO's live. 

 

Manistee has a population of 6220, and has about half the listings that Ludington has.  Only one of their's has an unknown address, no homeless ones. 

 

Big Rapids has a population of 10,695 (including a lot of college students) and has one homeless RSO and one with an address unknown. 

 

Ludington has a population of 8069 and has seven homeless RSOs, one address unknown, and four definitely living within a school safety zone.  There are as many RSOs living in the 49431 zip code than there is in Big Rapids and Manistee zip code combined.

 

A homeless registered sex offender is scarier to me more than one living a couple of blocks away from a school, but hey, the homeless have no landlord policing over them.  In Ludington they don't even have the police policing over them. 

[Brian Carlson]

He met a 13 year old girl on the Internet and met with  her.

[XLFD]

EyE,

The fact is that there are as many Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) living in the 49431 zip code than there is in Big Rapids and Manistee zip code combined when this story was compiled.  If a sex offender does not register anywhere, he could be living anywhere, but the ones who registered in the three areas, had that property. 

I may assume wrong, but I would believe that if a city like Ludington or Scottville, puts the burden of doing the detective work on the landlords of the city rather than the trained police of that city, most will find it more easy to skirt about unnoticed, and claim they are homeless (even if not) to avoid harassment by the authorities.

[Willy]

Eye

Your right it is a serious issue that needs to be corrected but I'm confused about your statement " the main emphasis is not on correction but rather finger pointing"? Are you talking about the police, State authority, local authority ... who?

 

[easymoney]

If no-one points a finger, how is anyone to  know WHO and WHERE ?

[XLFD]

Could this be a direct result of Ludington and Scottville's policy of letting the landlords do their work?  Sex offenders who don't want to register come here to live, because they know the police have abrogated their duties:

 

 Man listed as one of Michigan's top 10 most wanted caught in Mason County                

HAMLIN TWP. -- A 37-year-old Ludington man, listed as one of Michigan's top ten most wanted sex offender absconders, is behind bars once again in Mason County.

Troopers from the Michigan State Police said they arrested Craig Walter Hatfield around 10 p.m. Wednesday at the Ludington State Park. Hatfield was wanted by the State Police Lapeer Post on a felony charge of failing to comply with sex offender registry requirements.

Police said Hatfield had not been properly registered since June of 2012.

Hatfield's offenses include criminal sexual conduct 2nd degree assault and criminal sexual conduct 4th degree (victim between 13-16).

As of November 29, 2012 Hatfield has a warrant out for his arrest in St. Clair County for failing to show up for arraignment in October of 2012. He was going to be arraigned on a misdemeanor charge for a sex offender failing to comply with the registration act.  

The St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office said Hatfield was convicted of a felony for a second offense as a habitual offender and was sentenced to 6 months in the county jail in April of 2012.

Hatfield was identified by a fingerprint indexing system after a recent arrest by another police agency.  The arrest was made for a traffic offense with Hatfield using an alias.

Troopers were assisted by the Mason County Sheriff's Office.

http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=951514#.Ukjv6rvn_IU

Once again, fancy that, the news agencies outside of the county are getting the scoops on Mason County events.  COLDNews and MCP have nothing on this as of yet.

[Angela]

So I was at district court today for a pre-lim hearing on a RSO who is working (living) within a school safety zone.  From early last year up to less than a month ago, Mr. Thomas Teague had his work address listed/registered on the SOR at 712 Diana St. this is within the 1000ft school safety zone.  Per MI sex offender law, sex offenders cannot live or work within a school zone. Mr Teague works for a local taxi company that is run by his girlfriend out of this house.  He is always there day and night.  Over the past year I have reported this to LPD and each time they said they couldnt and wouldnt do anything about it because the judge would just throw the case out.  I finally got fed up and contacted MSP in June.  Trooper Butterfield took on the case and did a very good job of investigation, getting pictures/witness statements and even got Mr Teague to confess to living and working at this residence -- a clear violation of the law.  The week a Trooper Butterfields death was suppose to be the week on the prelim on Mr Teague for Felony failure to register correct address and misdermeanor charge of working within a school safety one.

Well we all know the sad events of that week with Trooper, so the prelim was postponed until this week.  Well because of the troopers death, the confession that Mr teague made that he was in fact living at this house, the confession cant be used because it would be hearsay -- so now he is just being charged with the misdermeanor charge of working within the school zone,  mr teague was given the opportunity to plea gulity today & take time served with 2 yrs probation and also that he is to never go to that residence again.  Well he refused the plea and now its going to a jury trial.  Mr teagues lawyer asked him why he just doenst move (they rent the house) and he said that an LPD officer told him he could work out of this house as long as he wasnt there the majority of the time or spending the night.  I for one can testify that he has been as still is going to that house at all hours of the day & night and is there for more than just a few minutes.........anyways this is what is going on so far --- reply if you have any questions, I gotta go.

OH BTW mr vanloons parents live across the street from me (I live in a school zone) he is gone and I make sure he is never at that house.

[XLFD]

 

Thomas Teague has been registered at the Carr Manor apartments (107/109 E Foster) right across from the City Hall/LPD complex, along with six other RSOs, for a fairly long time if my memory serves me.  Thanks for the update, and a fitting tribute to Trooper Butterfield as someone who took their job to the public seriously, unlike many of our well-paid friends at LPD who seem to shrug almost everything off.

[Angela]

that is his registered residence -- up until about a month ago he also had his work address - 712 Diana St -- also listed on the website.  Once he found out he was getting charged with this offense he went down to LPD and changed his work address to his home address.  But the court already has on record that he was registered working within a school zone.  Here is a link to the law:

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-295-1994-iii.pdf

State law - along with local code, states that a registered sex offender CANNOT work within a school zone.  712 Diana St is within a 1000ft of Franklin school.  He cannot be working there or even out of that house.  The MSP wanted to get him on the felony charge but cannot use his confession to trooper butterfield

So yes the place that he "lives" and registered as the address that he "lives" at is indeed Carr Manor, but his work address was and still is 712 Diana St --

I work weird hours and also go for early morning or late nite runs.  His red mini van is parked at this house at all hours and for extended periods of time.  He claims he just stops there to drop off info to the business for a taxi fair that he had -- but that is a lie --- he is there at all hours and all the time - - a clear violation of the law.

Oh and he uses his "crippled" girlfriend as an excuse and even had the magistrate fooled -- she gave him a PR bond when the warrant was first issued.

total BS

[AQUAMAN]

That's very illuminating and scary Angela. I would think anyone on this forum, as member or passer-by, living around Franklin School, esp. parents with kids there, would surely find outrage and torment with this kind of situation existing in plain sight and with the LPD's label of approval, so to speak. If Wanda is around now, after the dog shows, I wish she would kindly and courageously, make a post, or investigate this with Barnett, for the record. Please advise if you see this Wanda, thanks.

[XLFD]

Angela,

I wasn't doubting your observations, just pointing out that the LPD just has to cross the street to check up on seven perv-perps at one stop.  You would think they could figure what's up with Mr. Teague. 

Thanks for letting me know that they also can't work inside a school zone, I hadn't known that before.