February 20, 2013

I-Team: Sex Offenders Face Few Consequences for Violations

To understand what this lawmaker wants, consider, he wants a drunk sex offender to br treated more harshly than a non sex offender drunk. Why?
2-20-2013 Nevada:

LAS VEGAS -- State police officers say sex offenders aren't being punished for repeat violations of their parole and probation. They blame Nevada's overburdened courts.

State police officers are responsible for keeping watch over sex offenders who are released from prison. They claim their job is increasingly difficult because sex offenders realize there are no consequences for breaking parole.

Jason Buratczuk and Danny Aldis are Nevada Parole and Probation officers and they're fed up.

"We're in the Department of Public Safety. It seems like the only people we keep safe are the damned sex offenders. As soon as we arrest them, they're out," said Jason Buratczuk, a parole and probation officer.

It's the job of the officers to try stop sex offenders from falling back into their old habits. Sexual triggers including porn, liquor and drugs are forbidden, but some sex offenders still skirt the rules. Getting caught usually results in only a night or two in jail.

Carl Joshua is on lifetime supervision for molesting a young girl. He's not supposed to drink because it's a trigger for sex crimes, but he'll get away with it this time.

"I've taken you to jail. They don't want you," Buratczuk tells Joshua.

Buratczuk said he has taken Joshua to jail three, maybe four times, and he is always released.

Parole and probation Sgt. Brian Zana thought he'd try and fix the problem. He wrote a bill that would take parole violations seriously by keeping sex offenders in jail.

"It's a no-bail hold until they either see the parole board or see the court. They're not back out on the street, they're not out there running amuck. They know there are actually repercussions for their actions," Zana said.

Sex offenders seemingly live in groups. It is not unusual for extended stay hotels in Las Vegas to have clusters of five sex offenders per complex. And then there's the house next door that nobody knows about. People think they know the sex offenders in their neighborhood because of the state's registry website. Think again.

Take Donny Cooper. His recent past includes lewdness with a child younger than 14. Police tell the I-Team they suspect Cooper in the molestation of dozens of boys worldwide, yet he doesn't even make the top tier of sex offenders. That means Cooper doesn't have to register where he lives.

Officer Danny Aldis spends most of his days checking on offenders. This stop is at the apartment of Chad Galbraith. He did prison time for an attempted 2001 sexual assault.

"You really look like you've been tweaking," Aldis said. Galbraith responds, "That's the only thing I have in my system. It's meth.

It turns out Galbraith admits to using meth and drinking, both are prohibited. He's placed under arrest.

While in the police car, Galbraith admits staying off of drugs would have made a difference in his life and likely wouldn't have committed the sexual assault.

Galbraith wasn't taken to jail. Instead, he went to drug detox. Aldis said he would probably spend more time in detox than in jail.

State parole officers had their hopes crushed just days ago on a bill they wrote for the Legislature to toughen parole violations.

"I've been informed that it will not be making it to the legislative floor," Zana said.

The I-Team has learned there is little interest in changing parole laws this year.

There's 527 sex offenders under lifetime supervision in southern Nevada. Five years ago, there were just 45. ..Source.. by Nathan Baca

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