Panelists address issues surrounding sex offenders in our midst

CLINTON — What can a town do about a Level 3 sex offender working a couple hundred feet from a school? Not much, other than be aware — but that awareness can have a real impact.

That was one message at a forum addressing tracking and dealing with sex offenders held Tuesday night at Clinton Town Hall. The forum, organized by state Rep. Harold Naughton brought together officials from several agencies to address residents’ concerns about sex offenders in town. The forum was prompted, in part, by concern that arose after the Times & Courier reported a man who served time for molesting a 15-year-old mentally handicapped boy was working in a shop on High Street known to be frequented by teenage boys. The shop also sits about a block away from the elementary school.

“What can we do as a town as a whole have this gentleman not operate a business in town?” asked Selectman Robert Pasquale Jr. “I have some concerns that we’re not doing our very best about this.”

But, according to Bob Baker, director of operations for the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, because Stephen Lemons, who runs D&S Sales on High Street with his nephew, is not under any kind of parole restriction in Massachusetts there is nothing preventing him from associating with youth. The state uses GPS tracking devices on some offenders, but Lemons and others transferring from out of state may not have to comply.

“There’s no legal way of keeping him away from a school,” Baker said. “He’s a free man; he’s not under any supervision.”

Although, according to Baker, many sex offenders do face restrictions placed upon them by judges when they are released from jail, Lemons’ situation is an example of a how an out-of-state conviction can sometimes lead to sex offenders having more of a free hand in Massachusetts.

“The issue there is that this is an out of state disposition,” said Naughton. “What has to be done is some sort of national legislation that would give a judge in the commonwealth some fingers — some way to reach out and grab someone like that and have more control.”

Diane Richards, of the Office for the Commissioner of Probation in Clinton, said she was concerned by the type of business Lemons was involved with and that it was one that would set a sex offender up to re-offend.

“That’s a breeding ground for grooming,” Richards said.

“Grooming” is what Baker said many sex offenders do to gain the trust of victims before abusing them. It’s a process that can sometimes take years, he said.

Who are they?
Although a Level 3 working on High Street may grab the public’s attention, panelists at Tuesday’s forum stressed that the many offenders who haven’t been caught are a real risk as well.

According to Baker, out of 100 sex offenders, only 12 to 15 percent will be convicted — meaning that the vast majority of offenders haven’t been caught and aren’t being tracked by the state. And the numbers the state does have are frightening. According to Baker, every four hours and 20 minutes 120 new sex offences take place in the U.S. and one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused in their lifetime.

Perceptions of the guy in the trench coat in the park are also not the reality for most sex offenders, Baker said.

“Ninety-nine percent will know their assailant,” Baker said. “It will be a family member, a close family friend, someone we’ve entrusted our child to.”

“Very often you’ll tell your child, ‘don’t talk to a stranger, don’t talk to a stranger,’ but these people aren’t strangers,” Richards said.

Baker said sex offenders come in all ages and races.

“Social economic backgrounds really mean nothing,” he said. “They can be the most intelligent individuals in the community or the least.”

Out of town
Some residents Tuesday questioned whether a community group can drum Level 3 sex offenders — those determined by the registry as highly likely to re-offend — out of town.

It’s a dangerous tactic, panelists said — both from a legal standpoint and from a safety standpoint. Pushing them out of their places of residence can just make them homeless, Richards said. When police and community members know where the offenders are, it’s easier to keep track of them and be aware of their presence, she said.

Regarding Lemons, Baker said the advantage you have is that you know he’s there.”
Naughton said dealing with offenders in the community is a difficult subject, but that he feels the system the state has in place now works pretty well.

“That’s indicated by the news reports you’ve seen in the past couple of months,” Naughton said.

That system divides offenders into three levels — Level 1s, which have a low risk to the public and are known only to law enforcement; Level 2s, which have a moderate risk to re-offend and are listed at local police stations and Level 3s, which are highly likely to re-offend and are publicized in the schools and by police.

“Level 2s are people that we believe you should know about it,” Baker said. “Level 3s are the ones we think you should know about right now.”

(Noah R. Bombard can be reached at nbomard@cnc.com or at 978-365-8040)