FL- Sexual Predator Assigned to Live Under a Bridge (A NEW BRIDGE)

One day and he went back to prison because he couldn't get back to the bridge in time for curfew! Check DOC comment "No other sex offenders are living under bridges." Someone is not well informed!

7-3-2009 Florida:

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PUTNAM COUNTY, FLORIDA -- The view couldn't be better. It's waterfront property, a hot fishing spot, and there is peace and quiet.

The serenity is one reason Thomas Nettles decided to live here. He's lived in the same place for the last 40 years.

But what Nettles didn't realize is he had a neighbor out here too.

"You hate to even think the state is doing that. It just don't even make sense. I didn't even know he was there," says Nettles.

Nettles' home is right next door to Causey Guyden's. He is a sexual predator. The only thing is Guyden doesn't actually have a house.

You see, the 43-year-old listed his address, with the Department of Corrections, as Putnam County's Dunns Creek Bridge.

"You can blame him for being the kind of person he is, but you can't blame him for the situation they put him in," says Nettles.

The two time sex offender was just released from prison on June 1st. It was a conditional release meaning Guyden had an ankle monitor and had to abide by rules, such as living more than 1,000 feet from a school or bus stop.

But that is where the problem begins. "They directed him to live at the Dunns Creek Bridge because it's the only place in Putnam County that a sex offender can go and stay," says Bob Davis, Guyden's attorney.

Davis says Guyden had no money and his mom lived too close to a school.

The state admits it knows resources for sex offenders are limited and they are okay with Guyden living under the bridge.

That may be because sex offenders assigned to live under a bridge is nothing new.

"Unfortunately, this is not a new issue for the department. We've been dealing with this for a few years now. We see our numbers slowly increase. So, this is a problem that needs to be addressed. We know this is not a good situation," says Gretl Plessinger, with the Department of Corrections.

The Department's hands are tied. Probation officers have to have a place to check on offenders and many times it is not a home. "In some sex offenders, it's under a bridge, some its their cars."

Plessinger says there are 91 homeless sex offenders in Florida, most of them are in the southern part of the state.

"These situations aren't good for the public, and we have concerns about public safety when an offender can't find a place to live, whether it's a sex offender or another type of offender. They are more likely to violate their probation, more likely to break the law," says Plessinger.

But some say the law is part of the problem. "It's a guaranteed failure," says Davis.

The law, he says, doesn't leave many options for an offender to successfully meet the criteria for probation or parole.

"Causey actually begged them not to release him. When you have an inmate saying please don't release me, I can't do it, that is the part I find appalling."

Guyden's curfew was to stay under the bridge from six o'clock at night until seven o'clock in the morning. "If he has to go to the bathroom, he can't leave the bridge. I mean that's asinine. You're actually telling him to commit a new crime," says Davis.

Another problem Davis sees is Guyden's ankle monitor and how his client was to charge it. "He was told to walk up to the 7-11 and plug in. Which I don't know if the 7-11 would appreciate that."

The closest store to the bridge is 1.4 miles away. The state says it is up to the offender to find a place to charge the ankle monitor. If they don't, they go back to jail.

"Is it fail safe, no, it isn't. I wish I could say that it was. People certainly need to be cautious, but the probation officers here do a great job trying to make sure these offenders are where they are and doing what they are supposed to be doing."

Guyden didn't last long under the bridge. In fact, it was only one day. Probation officers went to the Dunns Creek Bridge and Guyden wasn't there until four hours after his curfew began.

He is now back in prison. "We all want to protect our kids. We've got kids but in the same aspect, these people have to be able to survive without breaking the law when they are trying to abide by the statute," says Davis.

Guyden's attorney believes the system failed his client by not giving him a fair chance at a fresh start.

As for Guyden's neighbor, he is glad he is gone, maybe this time for good. "I feel better that he is gone. I didn't know he was there, so I wasn't that upset, but I'm glad he's gone."

The state says, right now, there are no other sexual offenders or predators assigned to live under bridges on the First Coast. ..Source.. by Jackelyn Barnard and Taren Reed