Judge: Hire own lawyer in sex offense lawsuit

1-6-2008 Ohio:

LISBON — A Lisbon man who filed a petition to challenge his sex offender reclassification will have to get his own attorney, a judge ruled.

Billy Brown of 10601 Endley Road filed the petition on his own Monday, with no attorney, but requested Columbiana County Common Pleas Court appoint him counsel at state expense.

Judge David Tobin denied the motion for court-appointed counsel, saying he had no authority to do that since it’s a civil matter. Brown filed the case against the state of Ohio. His criminal case was handled in Macomb, Mich., which is where he was convicted of a sex-related offense and ordered to register as an oriented sex offender for 10 years, according to court documents.

Under the new sex offender rules which took effect Tuesday, he was reclassified as a Tier III Sex Offender and told that he must register with the local sheriff’s office every 90 days for life, a letter from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office said.

Tobin also denied Brown’s motion for immediate relief from the community notification requirement, stating a status hearing must be held before any relief can be granted from the requirement.

Brown was the second county resident to file a petition in Common Pleas Court to challenge the new reporting rules, which reclassified sex offenders and lengthened some of their reporting times. ..more.. by the Salem News