Sex offenders are some of the most high profile criminals, but keeping track of them is problematic despite the efforts of law enforcement and state registries.
Sometimes the problem is the offenders do not register as they are required to do by law.
Other times it is because information on the offenders is outdated or incorrect.
Sex offenders who live in or visit Elko County for more than 48 hours are required to register through the Elko County Sheriff’s Office. The staff at the sheriff’s office then sends the information to Nevada’s state registry.
Unfortunately, difficulties with the system make it hard to keep tabs on offenders in the area, Undersheriff Clair Morris and Detective Sgt. Nick Czegledi said.
State law puts the responsibility on the offenders to notify law enforcement about their location. This makes it easier for offenders to hide from law enforcement, Morris said.
“If they are careful and stay away from law enforcement, we’ll never know they are here,” Morris said.
“I think there needs to be something where we can track them easier,” he said.
Czegledi said a national database that law enforcement could access would make it easier, since offenders who move from state to state are particularly difficult to track down.
A website run by the U.S. Department of Justice called the National Sex Offender Public Website has a national sex offender search. However, a name search on the national website directs the searcher to individual state sex offender registries.
Currently, the sheriff’s office lacks the budget and resources Morris would need to improve the process locally.
Offender Categories
Sex offenders are ranked by four tiers and three status types.
Tier 0 offenders are required to register, but are not subject to community notification. Tier 1 offenders are low risk for recidivism. Notification is provided only to persons authorized to receive criminal history records, such as law enforcement, prosecutors and courts.
Tier 2 offenders are moderate risk for recidivism and Tier 3 offenders are high risk for recidivism. Both tiers are required to notify law enforcement and community organizations such as churches and schools of their status. Their information — name, age, address, etc. — is available to the public.
The three status categories of convicted sex offenders are active, inactive and noncompliant.
Active status means the sex offender has registered with local law enforcement.
Inactive status refers to sex offenders who have moved out of the state, been incarcerated, been deported by INS, been hospitalized for an indefinite period, been a visitor, or failed to initially register (and have since registered).
Sex offenders who are noncompliant have failed to register, failed to comply with an annual verification or failed to update their personal information.
The state of Nevada has 1,567 noncompliant sex offenders, according to the Nevada Sex Offender Registry.
There are 83 Tier 2 and Tier 3 sex offenders registered in Elko County, and 11 of those are listed as noncompliant, according to the registry. Jonathan Lopez is the only Tier 3 offender listed as noncompliant. However, he is compliant according to the Colorado state registry — an incidence of inaccurate information.
Seven of the 11 have been listed as noncompliant for at least the past two years. They are: Eric Dupont, James Grubaugh, Leonard Haines, David Huff, Jonathan Lopez, James McCoy and Ardie Ziegler.
Noncompliant offenders new this year are: Kevin Dieter, Daniel Enriquez, Billy Frey and Peter Ziemann.
The state registry lists three compliant Tier 3 offenders in the Elko area — John Michael Popp, James W. Saxton and John F. Zielinski. Zielinski has an Arizona address, but the other two live in Elko.
According to the registry, Popp lives at 132 Third St. No. 34.
Saxton, on the other hand, has an unfixed address that is unknown to the Elko County Sheriff’s Office, according to the Nevada Sex Offender Registry.
Since Saxton does not have a physical address, he should be listed as noncompliant, Czegledi said. Offenders are required to give a physical address to law enforcement, whether it is a hotel they are staying at temporarily or a location — for example, under the 12th street bridge — where they can be found.
Offenders are not required to notify law enforcement if they leave the state, but they are required by law to notify the new state or update their address within 48 hours of moving to a new area or address. They are also required to register if they visit another state for more than 48 hours.
The law requires sex offenders to register for life.
Interagency and Public Help
Czegledi said local law enforcement agencies have an informal system to help each other keep an eye on offenders.
Officers might know where an offender lives and ask another officer to check up on them, he said.
Law enforcement officers talk to each other while on patrol and share any relevant information with other agencies, Morris said.
Morris added the public can help, too. If someone suspects something is wrong, Morris said they should call law enforcement.
“If they don’t call, we’ll never know,” Morris said.
He prefers getting a false alarm rather than a real threat going unchecked.
Czegledi agreed. “If we have a name, we can check in on them,” he said.
Keeping track of sex offenders is not easy, but both Morris and Czegledi think the system has improved over the years.
“It’s better than it was 20 years ago, but it’s not where it needs to be,” Morris said. ..Source.. by Elaine Bassier
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