OH- Authorities warn children to be safe on Halloween

10-26-2008 Ohio:

CELINA - Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey is urging parents to take steps to protect their young trick or treaters from any contact with sex offenders while scouring neighborhoods for candy.

"Sex offenders are something we need to pay attention to and know where they are at," Grey said.

Grey and other sheriffs across the state are reminding people they can log on to their county sheriff's Web site to check the sex offender registry to see a list of the sex offenders who live in their neighborhood.

"We're hoping parents do that, and they can avoid those houses where offenders live," Grey said. "Let's make sure we're looking out for our kids."

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"I always encourage parents: Make sure your kids know where sex offenders live so they don't go over to that house," Grey said. "I think we live in a society where we can't be too careful."

Grey encourages parents to go trick or treating with their children to keep an eye on them and only go to houses where they know the people.

"They may get a little less candy, but at least you know your kid is safe," he said.

Parents should tell their children to never go into the house of a stranger to accept candy, and behavior such as an adult requiring a child to sit on his lap to get a piece of candy is unacceptable, he said.

"There shouldn't be any physical contact between the trick or treater and the person passing out the treats," Grey said.

In Allen County, sex offenders on parole or probation are being rounded up again for the two hours Halloween will be held in Lima, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, said Jim Wingate, deputy chief probation officer for Allen County Adult Probation.

"They will report to the office," he said. "The 40 participants will be here during that two-hour timeframe when kids are out trick or treating."

During the roundup, which has been done for several years, sex offenders will participate in drug testing and testing of their ankle bracelets. They also will receive educational information from Community Connections, which works to help them make it outside of prison, and from a local victim's advocate program, Wingate said.

Most of those being rounded up were in prison for a sex crime at one time, Wingate said.

The roundup does not include all the county's 160 convicted sex offenders. Those not on parole or probation do not have to report, he said.

Lima defense attorney Bill Kluge is against the roundup, saying he's never heard of any child victimized while out on Halloween. Besides, Kluge said almost all the children he sees collecting candy are with parents.

"The likelihood of something happening is pretty remote," he said "I think it's unnecessary and a waste of resources." ..News Source.. by Greg Sowinski