Sex offenders to spend Halloween in mandatory meeting

10-20-2014 Louisiana:

For the seventh year in a row, the Leesville District Probation and Parole Office will be holding a mandatory meeting on Friday, Oct. 31, for all convicted sex offenders residing in the areas of Vernon and Beauregard Parishes.

The event will be held at the West Louisiana Forestry Festival building, located at 276 H.M. Stevenson Blvd. in Leesville from 4:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., which is considered peak trick-or-treating hours.

The aim is to keep all sex offenders, especially those under the supervision of the local State Probation and Parole Office, from any contact with children on Halloween night, as well as update official records and inform the local sex offenders of any new and/or revised laws and to review compliance issues with them.

The offenders will be under close observation by officers with the Office of Probation and Parole, Leesville Police Department and deputies with the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office. Offenders will not be left unattended.

Only those sex offenders under supervision by the Leesville Probation and Parole Office who have a valid and verified reason for not attending the meeting (employment, medical, etc.) may be excused, but they still must not have any contact with children on that evening.

The event has been authorized by Leesville Probation and Parole District Administrator Sandra Ortego, Chief of Police Greg Hill and Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft. The meeting will be conducted by Supervisor and District Sex Offender Coordinator Paul Cryer and officers with Probation and Parole.

Attendance requirement at this mandatory meeting only applies to those sexual offenders who are under the supervision of State Probation and Parole; however, an invitation has been extended to sex offenders currently residing in the two-parish area who are not currently under formal mandated supervision at this time.

Those offenders currently not under supervision may benefit from attendance at the meeting in an effort to avoid accusations of misconduct during trick-or-treating hours and the ability to acquire updates on new laws and revisions.

Last year's meeting was extremely successful in terms of both attendance and review of compliance issues. ..Source.. by Staff Reports