Sex offenders helping pay for record keeping

8-15-17 Wyoming:

A statute passed by the 2017 Wyoming Legislature is aimed at helping pay to monitor sex offenders. Beginning July 1, 2017, additions or deletions to addresses, registrations of vehicles, phones, etc., will require a fee.

Goshen County Under Sheriff Jeremy Wardell said the fee is a new charge for recording most changes in addresses, occupations, and other aspects of the individual offender’s life.

“We collect the $31.25 fee for each update and send it to the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation where it will help recover some of the cost of the software system,” Wardell said Monday.

Habitual, mailing and temporary addresses (vacations, out of town, jobs, trips, etc.) qualify for the fee. Recording changes in employment, whether part-time or full time, is included, however, temporary jobs less than 14 days a year are exempt.

Volunteer jobs that may or may not have compensation, benefit or pay, qualify, but temporary volunteering less than 14 days a year does not need updated. Changes in any adult education facility subjects physically attend, excluding Internet only classes, must be updated.

Changes in all owned or operated vehicles, including cars, trucks, trailers, motorcycles, 4-wheelers, tractors, campers, RVs, farm or construction equipment, with or without registration must be reported and qualify for the new fee. Watercraft of any type, except a personal flotation device, meet the fee requirements. Any trailers used for the watercraft also need to be listed. ..Continued..

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Sex offenders now pay the cost of supervision

7-26-17 Wyoming:

Previous source of cash has run dry, so the state charges registrants for every change of status.

A new Wyoming law means sex offenders must now pay to register or make changes to their registration. If they ignore the new law, they’re subject to criminal charges.

It’s a big change for both offenders and law enforcement. In Teton County, where many residents are transient, the law was already tough to enforce.

“Say we get a tourist come in from out of town who isn’t currently registered in Wyoming,” Teton County Sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Stanyon said. “It’s going to cost them $150 bucks to register with us for initial registration. Say they stay for two weeks. Then when they deregister to tell us they’re leaving, they’re going to have to pay the $31.25.” ..Continued..

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Sex offender registration fees increase with proposed legislation

2-28-17 Wyoming:

SHERIDAN — Sex offenders in Wyoming may face increased registration fees this July in preparation for the 2019 expiration of the grant supporting Wyoming’s sex offender registration program.

At the request of the Wyoming Attorney General’s office, legislators appointed to the Judiciary Committee from both the House and Senate worked together over the interim to propose a bill to create the sex offender registration account, which would house increased registration and reporting fees. The House Judiciary Committee passed the bill with no opposition and the Appropriations Committee passed it with a 5-2 vote. The bill survived through the second reading Monday and goes through the third reading for consent Tuesday.

Wyoming is currently home to 1,548 active sex offenders who are out of prison. Of those, 35 percent received convictions outside of Wyoming and moved to the state, according to a fact sheet from Chief Deputy Attorney General John Knepper. Knepper, previously from Sheridan, tallied up the total cost of running the sex offender registry program for the state.

Wyoming runs the registry program, which costs $248,958.50 each year, with grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice.

“The software cost is paid through 2019, but there is not a funding stream in place to cover it any further,” Knepper said on the fact sheet. “The U.S. Department of Justice has already denied grant funding for costs after 2019.”

In order to continue the registry, revenues need to flow from somewhere other than the U.S. Department of Justice. All sex offenders who were either convicted of a sexual offense or choose to live in Wyoming must register for life.

The bill puts a registration account in place by July 1, 2017, and requires offenders to pay a state registration fee not to exceed $120 at initial registration. In addition, the offender must also pay a county registration fee that is 25 percent of the state fee. County fees for registration and reporting will stay in each county, with the state fees going into the sex offender registration account created by the bill. Those unable to afford the fees may submit an indigent application. Offenders who willfully fail to pay required fees will be found guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $750 and six months of incarceration at the county jail, the bill proposes.

Although offenders register for life, Knepper said Wyoming law permits individuals to petition to be removed from the offender registry.

“In recent years, 406 individuals have left the registry, and 164 have come off after a petition,” Knepper said.

The registry itself remains beneficial for both the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office and the community, SCSO’s administrative clerk Mike Smith said.

“It makes people aware of who’s out there and where they’re located,” Smith said of the registry’s impact to Sheridan County residents. “It helps us keep an eye on them.”

Smith, who maintains the sex offender registration at the SCSO along with other duties, said most of the Sheridan County registrants are compliant. Including juvenile registrants, Sheridan County hosts 74 sex offenders who are active in the system. Juvenile information is not publishable, but requirements for juvenile offenders remain the same for adult offenders and includes registering for life.

Smith works to keep all information up-to-date and accurate. For any citizen concerned about a possible offender or who needs a question answered about the registry, Smith said he can help.

“If anybody has any concerns about a sex offender and whether or not they’re compliant or what they can or can’t do, we’d be more than happy to answer as much as I can,” Smith said.

The Wyoming Sex Offender Registry is located on the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation website.

Visitors can search the registry by address, city, non-compliant offenders, Internet names or email addresses and by phone number.

Citizens may also register to receive email alerts notifying them when an offender registers in the area. ..Source.. by Ashleigh Fox

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Lawmakers consider changes to juvenile sex offender registry

8-18-15 Wyoming:

GILLETTE – The Wyoming Legislature's Joint Judiciary Committee might sponsor a bill in 2016 that would require court hearings to evaluate the re-offense risk of children who are eligible for the juvenile sex offender registry.

Some Wyoming prosecutors are not charging children with the serious sexual crimes because they want to keep the juveniles off the registry, said Rep. Sam Krone, R-Cody. For example, a prosecutors might file a sexual battery charge, which is a lesser offense that does not require registration, instead of the more egregious sexual assault or sexual abuse.

Some parents also don’t report if one of their children has abused a sibling because they don’t want the perpetrator on the registry, Krone said.

With Wyoming’s juvenile sex offender registry, the names of juvenile sex offenders are not public, but neighbors are notified they are offenders. Juvenile sex offenders have to register for at least 10 years, depending on the crime, and most remain on the juvenile sex offender registry into early adulthood, Krone said.

The legislation Judiciary Committee members discussed Thursday and Friday at a meeting at Gillette College was drafted by Krone, a Park County prosecutor, but not introduced in the 2015 session. The bill would add sexual battery to the list of crimes eligible for juvenile sex offender registration.

But after a child is convicted, there would be a hearing in which a judge would assess the juvenile’s recidivism risk.

If the risk is low, juveniles may not end up on the registry. If the risk was higher, they would have to be on the registry.

Juveniles need to be charged with the appropriate crime. Otherwise, many don’t take responsibility for it, which is important for victims, said Teton Youth and Family Services Executive Director Bruce Burkland.

But the registry is harsh. Public knowledge that a child is a sex offender can isolate him and put him at risk for committing more crimes, Burkland said.

“When you’re home and registered as an offender, it’s certainly difficult to have healthy relationships in the community,” he said

Sixth District Court Judge of Gillette John Perry told committee members that some psychosexual evaluations are helpful and some are not. Evaluations cost $3,500, and many people cannot afford them.

“I’m not suggesting that the state pay for that,” he said. “That would be an industry in and of itself.” ..Source.. by Laura Hancock

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Wyoming lawmakers discuss changes to youth sex offender registry

4-15-15 Wyoming:

RIVERTON – Wyoming lawmakers are considering modifying the requirements for a child to be added to the state’s juvenile sex offender registry.

Some prosecutors are not charging children with sex crimes to protect them from being added to the registry, which they view as too harsh of a punishment for lesser offenses, said Bruce Burkland of Teton Youth and Family Services. Burkland spoke about the issue Tuesday with the Legislature's Joint Judiciary Interim Committee at Central Wyoming College.

As a result, children are being convicted instead of battery or assault, and entering treatment programs for sexual behavior in denial about their problems. At the same time, victims are harmed when offenders are not convicted for sexual crimes, Burkland said.

“Right now, it’s one size fits all, no matter the crime – whether it’s a forcible rape or a touching crime,” said Rep. Sam Krone, R-Cody, a deputy attorney in Park County and a member of the Joint Judiciary Committee.

For instance, 23 adolescent boys from around the state have been referred to the Red Top Meadows Treatment Center, part of Teton Youth and Family Services, for treatment for sexual behavior since July 2011, when Wyoming’s juvenile sex offender registry began, Burkland said.

But only one was charged with a sexual offense. The rest had different charges, he said.

Wyoming began its registry to comply with a federal law. The names of juvenile sex offenders are not public, but neighbors are notified they are offenders. The time they spend on the registry varies depending on the crime, and can continue into adulthood, Krone said.

Krone asked the Legislature’s staff to draft a bill that would require the court to hold a hearing to assess a convicted juvenile’s risk of reoffending. The draft bill would create different stipulations for whether a child should be on the registry, based on whether the reoffense risk is low, moderate or high.

The bill is just in draft form, Krone said, and victim advocate and other groups need to sound off on the issue.

The federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act requires states to maintain a sex-offender registry. Wyoming currently complies with law, and legislators discussed whether a revision would change that.

If Wyoming did not comply with the law, it would risk losing a portion of a federal grant for law enforcement. In 2014, Wyoming would have lost $56,606 if it was not in compliance, Burkland said.

However, only 17 states have been in compliance. Other states were not penalized and changes to Wyoming's registry might not automatically put the state out of compliance, Burkland said.

The committee did not make any decisions about whether to sponsor a bill for the 2016 legislative session. Committee co-chairman Leland Christensen, R-Alta, encouraged lawmakers to do more research.

“Talk to your judges," he said. "Talk to your prosecutors.” ..Source.. by Laura Hancock

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Natrona County Sheriff’s Office plans to purchase body cams

1-2-2015 Wyoming:

OffenderWatch

All 23 counties in Wyoming have switched from the old sex offender registry to OffenderWatch as part of a push to have all jurisdictions nationwide using the same program to track offenders.

“It has all of the same information but more,” said sheriff's Sgt. John Becker.

Using the website, residents can confidentially register their address to be monitored by the sheriff’s office, which will send an email alerting them if an offender registers an address close to their home.

Citizens can also send anonymous messages on the website with tips or concerns about sex offenders. The messages are forwarded directly to law enforcement.

The system, if expanded nationwide, would allow law enforcement to track sex offenders seamlessly if they move from one jurisdiction to another. ..Source.. by LILLIAN SCHROCK

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Dell Range sex offender housing plan nixed

3-22-2013 Wyoming:

After residents said they wouldn't feel safe with a transitional sex offender house in their Dell Range Boulevard neighborhood, officials decided to pursue other options.

The program, called a shared living arrangement, would house three or more sex offenders recently released from prison. They would have been through inpatient treatment and would be responsible for rent and treatment costs.

The year-long program also would provide intensive supervision, counseling and treatment. It is part of an effort called “Transition From Prison to Community,” which helps inmates who are being released.

Officials had considered locating the program at 132 Dell Range Blvd. The site used to be an Oxford House, a home for people recovering from drug and alcohol addictions.

But several residents said the house was too close to day-care centers, parks and families with children to house sex offenders.

“There are a number of factors that the concerned neighbors we heard from raised,” said Steve Lindly, deputy director of the state Department of Corrections. “We determined in the end it wouldn’t be useful to have it at that location.”

For neighbors in the area, this was good news.

“I’m so relieved, because (officials) came into this not knowing the impact that the Oxford House had on our neighborhood,” Connie Moore said. “It used to be a neighborhood where nobody locked their doors. Now everyone has a security system.”

Neighbor Rosalind Schliske said the program was not a good fit for the area.

“The department of corrections has a difficult job, and I certainly understand that there’s a need for housing,” she said. “But to put it in a densely packed residential neighborhood wasn’t a good idea.”

Officials now will try to find another location for the program, which they say will help reduce recidivism and keep the public safer.

Kristy Oster is the department’s field services re-entry coordinator. She said they will look for locations in industrial areas, on the outskirts of town and with fewer children and day care centers.

“It’s going to be difficult to find a perfect location,” Oster said. “But those are things we’re going to be looking for.”

She added that the house can’t be too far out of town since it is hard for program participants to find transportation to and from work. It is also important that they are held accountable by community members.

“There are a lot of sex offenders that are amendable to treatment and can be held accountable,” she said.

Oster added that whatever location is looked at, they will make sure to notify people in that area.

“We’re hoping that if we can find a more conducive environment for this type of housing that we could still get people to join in with the overall goal of public safety,” she said. ..Source.. by Kelsey Bray

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Wind River Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act Office opened in Ethete

8-25-2012 Wyoming:

For the first time, and after four and a half years of planning and negotiating, the Wind River Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (WRSORNA) office has opened in Ethete, according to United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming, Christopher A. Crofts. The office will serve as the sole sex offender registry for the Wind River Reservation. The office began conducting registration on one week ago, Aug. 17th.

In a statement released from his Cheyenne office, Crofts thanked and congratulated WRSORNA Director Kendra Smith, who was instrumental in drafting the necessary legislation which was eventually passed by both the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Business Councils. In addition, each Tribe’s governing body entered into memorandums of agreement to allow the necessary information sharing with the Wyoming Sex Offender Registry.

Crofts said Wyoming Sex Offender Registry officials also dedicated much time and effort to ensuring the successful transition of sex offenders from a state-only registration, to the tribal registry. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Wind River Police Department also joined in to make the tribal registry possible.

Crofts said he applauded the efforts of the WRSORNA office, each Tribe, state officials, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, noting that a joint tribal sex offender registry will increase the safety of all citizens in and around Wyoming and Wind River communities by ensuring sex offenders are properly identified, registered and tracked. Crofts hopes the joint efforts which made the WRSORNA office a reality may serve as a model to all future efforts to strengthen Wyoming and Wind River community safety.

Persons with questions about the WRSORNA registry should contact Director Kendra Smith at (307) 840-2709. ..Source..

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Parents want police chief fired after escorting sex offender during school

At least the Mayor realized what was going on and dismissed any complaints, which were nonsense anyway!

4-6-2012 Wyoming:

BAIROIL, Wyo. — A teacher and parents of the five students at Bairoil Elementary School formed a small group and prayed for God's guidance to keep them calm before the Town Council met Wednesday evening.

It must have helped, because Mayor M.D. Reaser didn't eject any of them for their angry denunciations of Police Chief John Scott.

On Jan. 16 and March 9, Scott escorted a maintenance man from Saratoga — a registered sex offender — to the school during school hours to make plumbing repairs, according to the parents and acknowledged by Reaser, Town Attorney Peggy Trent and other council members.

"This incident with a sex offender brought into the school with my children present appalls me," Kristi Johnson said. "This is supposed to be a safe community and our police officer is supposed to provide our safety and not break the law by creating unsafe situations."

Parent Veronica Duke read the Wyoming law about registered sex offenders on school grounds when children are present, and the policy of the Carbon County School District, which requires written permission from a school's principal for registered sex offenders to be on school property. While Bairoil is within the northeast corner of Sweetwater County, its school belongs to the Carbon County School District.
"I request no less than the termination of Officer Scott due to his actions toward our school and our children," Duke said. "Registered sex offenders should never be presented to our children in a school, giving our children false ideas that he or she is a safe person or friend. This is an insult to our staff, children and parents. Officer Scott has violated and disgraced the badge he (wears)."

Johnson, Duke and others said they have contacted lawyers and are considering taking legal action against the mayor, council and Scott.

Their concerns are complicated by the relationship between the school and the town, because the town owns the school building itself, said Bairoil Attorney Peggy Trent.

The school district leases the space used for education, but the rest is technically property of the municipality, Trent said.

Bairoil — population of about 100 — has had a problem finding qualified skilled labor, said Tony Rigano, who runs the town's water and sewer infrastructure.

Rigano found plumber Joe Blunt in Saratoga.

Recalling the March incident, Rigano said Scott escorted Blunt into the "cafetorium," or cafeteria-auditorium. "No children were there."

Speaking over the objections of some of the parents, Rigano deemed the matter a personal spat, he said. "What we have here is a witch hunt."

According to the parents and the school's teacher, Joyce Gould, Scott escorted Blunt through the cafetorium to the kitchen on March 9 to fix the sink a half-hour before the end of the school day.

Gould said she asked Blunt who he was, that she recognized him and told Scott that Blunt had not obtained permission to be on the school premises.

Blunt was convicted of third-degree sexual assault in 2004 and is on lifetime supervision, according to the Wyoming Attorney General's sex offender registry. Blunt did not have a phone listing and could not be reached for comment.

According to Gould, Blunt realized he should not have been on school property and said, "'I need to get out of here.'"

However, Scott insisted that Blunt do the plumbing work, as well as insisting he had the authority to do what he wanted, Gould and parents said.

The police chief also said any school staffer who resisted him would be arrested.

After the parents spoke, Scott said the threat of litigation meant he couldn't talk about the incidents

"I'm going to refer everything to the (town) attorney," he said. "I'm not going to comment."

Technically, attorney Trent said the cafetorium is not in the lease agreement with the school.

The lease agreement needs to be amended, Trent said.

But the attorney's dispassionate review of the issue aggravated tensions.

Reaser finally said, "This is over."

But not before resident Dee Adams tried to offer an olive branch to the mayor and council.

"We have parents and residents who feel their Town Council has let them down," Adams said. "You need to take the time to listen."

Even though Trent will be working to resolve the bureaucratic glitches so such an incident doesn't happen again, the parents are still angry, she said.

Reaser responded with "What about my anger?"

The mayor didn't want to hear any more about the incidents involving Blunt and Scott, either, he said. "I will not cooperate with this, and I will not fire John Scott." ..Source.. by TOM MORTON Casper Star-Tribune

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Wyoming teen sex registry bill moves forward

2-16-2011 Wyoming:

CASPER, Wyo. — A bill that would require teenagers who commit violent sex crimes to register as sex offenders cleared a state legislative committee Monday.

Under the legislation, neighbors, school officials and law enforcement would be notified of certain juvenile sex offenders living in the community. But those teenagers would not be listed on the state's online database.

Wyoming currently does require juveniles to register as sex offenders.

The legislation, which was passed unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee, is designed to bring Wyoming into compliance with federal guidelines for sex offender registration. The bill would require all sex offenders to register e-mail accounts, online user names and their work or school addresses.

The committee, however, amended the bill to keep offenders' Internet identifiers and phone numbers off the public database. Instead, that information would be kept by law enforcement.

Last month, the House Judiciary Committee stripped the juvenile registration provisions from the bill. When it reached the House floor, Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, amended the bill to include juveniles again.

Under his amendment, only teens who commit certain violent crimes, such as sexual assault and kidnapping, would be required to register. After 10 years, juveniles could also petition to have their names removed from the registry.

The House passed that version of the bill in late January.

"I think we've narrowly construed it down to just the juveniles that have committed heinous sexual assaults -- these are your most serious sexual assaults," Gingery said Monday. "And I think the neighbors have a right to know if there is a 17-year-old living next door that might abuse their 6-year-olds.

"We understand the argument on the other side that those offenders could be victims themselves, coming back to school. So we made sure they're not on the website — all we're doing is telling the neighbors about them, and we're telling youth organizations."

Juvenile crimes are normally kept private so teenagers have an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves, said Linda Burt, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Wyoming. Informing neighbors and others about a teenager's crimes will keep that from happening, she contends.

"They are bullied, they are harassed and they are pushed out of their communities because of this information," she said.

Sex offender registration laws across the country have become so broad that they are virtually useless for helping the public decide which offenders represent a true danger, she added. Burt said she's been contacted by several Wyoming men who are on the registry for the statutory rape of women who are now their spouses.

Wyoming would lose $85,000 in grant money if it fails to comply with the federal guidelines, according to Senate Judiciary Chairman Drew Perkins, R-Casper. That money is used to pay for drug enforcement programs.

The bill, however, is expected to cost the state $144,000.

Several other states have chosen not to comply with the guidelines because the cost of implementing them is greater than the reduction in grant funding. ..Source.. By JOSHUA WOLFSON Casper Star-Tribune

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Some teens may have to register online as sex offenders

1-15-2011 Wyoming:

CHEYENNE -- A House committee heard public testimony Thursday on a bill that would require certain teens to register as sex offenders.

Lawmakers have been reluctant to update the state's online registry with information on juvenile offenders. Federal requirements include offenders as young as 14, but Wyoming's proposal would only register the most serious teen offenders.

It's a compromise that gives law enforcement options when dealing with juveniles, even if it doesn't bring Wyoming into full compliance with federal guidelines, Natrona County District Attorney Mike Blonigen said to members of the House Judiciary Committee.

"I know at some point we might be the big green space on (the television show for FOX News commentator) Bill O'Reilly," he said. "At some point we might lose federal money."

But if a juvenile sexual offense is significant enough to join the registry, then it's important enough to release to the public, he said.

There are approximately 1,200 offenders in Wyoming's registry, and 60 percent of these individuals don't have any ties to the state, said Byron Oedekoven with the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police.

He added that it raises questions about why a registered sex offender would want to move to Wyoming in the first place. And he supports the bill's stricter reporting requirements, which include workplace addresses, e--mail addresses and any screen names used online.

The purpose of the federal Adam Walsh Act is public safety, said Jennifer Horvath, an attorney with the Wyoming chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. She added that juvenile offenders are less likely than adults to become repeat offenders. Meanwhile, a majority of juvenile cases go through the adult court system in Wyoming.

The bill's juvenile exception won't do much to keep teens off the registry. The reporting requirements of youthful offenses also could follow juvenile offenders for as long as 26 years, she said.

Horvath added that teens who do commit another sexual crime likely would join the registry as adult offenders. ..Source.. by Michelle Dynes

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Wyo. legislative panel backs sex offender law change (Adam Walsh Act)

Will the Adam Walsh Act's treatment of juveniles ultimately be the cause of juvenile bullying cases, and suicides of some juveniles?

11-13-2010 Wyoming:

CASPER, Wyo. — Teenagers who commit certain violent sex crimes would be required to register as sex offenders under a bill endorsed Friday by a Wyoming legislative committee.

Neighbors, schools and law enforcement would be notified of a registered teenager's sex-offender status. However, juveniles would be kept off the state's online registry.

Juvenile criminal cases are normally kept private. During its meeting in Casper, the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee debated the best way to maintain some level of confidentiality for young offenders while still protecting the community.

“I'm so torn on this,” said Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson. “I want to know about the kid to protect my kid, but at the same time, how does that kid get on with his life if everyone knows about him and they tease him about it and bully him in some manner ... and the defendant becomes the victim?”

Sen. Kathryn Sessions, D-Cheyenne, said there were instances in which notifying people about a young offender would be necessary to protect other, more vulnerable children.

“I know there are a lot of bad actors out there,” she said. “And I will fight like the devil for their chance to come back into society and do something that is the right thing to do. But ... somebody ought to know about what that kid has chosen to do. And I think it is a fine line to walk.”

Only teenagers 14 and older would be required to register.

The bill, which will be sponsored by the committee in the upcoming legislative session, would make several changes to the state's sex offender law. It's designed to bring Wyoming into compliance with national guidelines for sex offender registration.

If the state remains out of compliance, it would receive less federal grant money that's used for law enforcement.

Wyoming currently does not require juveniles to register as sex offenders.

Under the bill approved by the committee, neighbors living within 750 feet of certain juvenile offenders, as well as school administrators and youth organizations, would be informed of their status.

The committee also voted to require adult sex offenders to provide the addresses of their employers for the online registry. Although there was concern that listing addresses would discourage employers from hiring sex offenders, the committee was told leaving them off would lead to less federal grant money.

Lawmakers did eliminate other proposed revisions after learning those changes wouldn't affect federal funding. These included a proposal to require sex offenders sentenced before 1985 to register with authorities.

Only four states are currently in compliance with federal guidelines specified in the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Several states have chosen not to comply with the guidelines because the costs of implementing them were greater than the reduction in grant funding. ..Source.. JOSHUA WOLFSON Casper Star-Tribune The Billings Gazette

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WY- Corrections dept. cuts inmate treatment programs

In other words, long term public safety is sacrificed? OH yes, and paroles will ultimately be denied because inmates have not completed these programs; which will be more expensive?

6-4-2009 Wyoming:

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The Wyoming Department of Corrections is cutting inmate sex offender and mental health treatment programs to save money.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal plans to release a list of budget cuts for all state agencies later this week. He has said falling state revenues sparked by weak energy prices have made cuts of up to 10 percent necessary for nearly all agencies in the fiscal year that starts next month.

"What you're seeing are the agency's efforts to respond to the governor's budget cuts, the specifics of which are going to be released on Thursday," Chris Boswell, the governor's chief of staff, said Monday. "I think it's appropriate to comment at that point." ..Source.. bymLive.com

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WY- Wyo high court orders new sex offender sentencing

2-12-2009 Wyoming:

CHEYENNE -- The Wyoming Supreme Court has ruled that a district judge should not have weighed a convicted sex offender's decision to have a jury trial in sentencing him.

A jury in 2007 found Keith E. Guinn guilty of having improper sexual contact with a 9-year-old girl.

Laramie County District Judge Peter Arnold sentenced Guinn to eight to 10 years in prison. According to the Supreme Court ruling released Monday, Arnold told Guinn at sentencing that he took into account in handing down sentences whether or not a defendant pleaded guilty.

"I know that generally speaking when I arrive at a sentence for someone who has pled guilty, I take into account the acceptance of responsibility," Arnold said at the hearing, according to the Supreme Court ruling. "I take into account the saving of the effort that the guilty plea represents to the state.

"I take into account the saving of anxiety of witnesses who would otherwise be expected to testify if a defendant does not plead guilty. I take those things into account when I arrive at a sentence for someone who pleads guilty."

The Supreme Court ruled that Arnold's statements were improper and that the district court violated Guinn's right to a jury trial. The justices said courts can grant leniency for someone who's pleaded guilty, but they can't punish someone for exercising their right to a jury trial.

"While there is certainly some truth to the state's position, we simply cannot ignore the fact that the district court positively declared at sentencing that it was appropriate to consider the fact that the appellant chose to go to trial," the justices said.

The Attorney General's Office argued on behalf of the district court, saying the sentence of eight to 10 years was "substantially less" than the maximum prison term of 15 years that Guinn faced. ..News Source.. by Trib.com

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WY- Sex offenders internet bill dies

2-6-2009 Wyoming:

CHEYENNE - A bill to restrict Internet access for convicted sex offenders died in a legislative committee Thursday.

The House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously against the bill. The committee's chairman, Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, says the bill was too flawed to go to the House floor.

Laramie County District Attorney Scott Homar says convicted sex offenders already are subject to Internet restrictions and computer searches, even if the offender's crime did not involve the Internet. ..News Source.. by BillingsGazette.com

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WY- Bill would streamline sex offender registration

12-5-2008 Wyoming:

A proposed bill for the 2009 Legislature will streamline and close loopholes in the law for registered sex offenders, according to the draft passed by the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee on Thursday.

"We're satisfied," said Byron Oedekoven, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police.

"They took our suggestions to heart," Oedekoven said. "They added even clearer language."

While the proposed changes will not directly affect residents in neighborhoods where sex offenders live, they will clarify the process for registering and better conform to the federal Jacob Wetterling and Adam Walsh acts, he told the committee.

The federal laws were passed to manage sex offenders. Jacob Wetterling, 11, was kidnapped in Minnesota in 1989 and never seen again. In 1981, Adam Walsh was abducted from a store in Hollywood, Fla., and murdered. The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act makes it a federal offense to fail to register as a convicted sex offender.

Wyoming also has drawn criticism for being a haven for offenders because of its lax registration laws, Oedekoven told the committee in September.

About 1,300 sex offenders are required to register in Wyoming and many of those do not have substantial ties to the state, he said then.

After strengthening the requirements in 2007, sex offenders lost interest in moving to Wyoming, Oedekoven said then.

But the law still had some problems, Oedekoven said Thursday.

-- The existing law stated convicted sex offenders either had three days or 10 days to register.

-- It could allow offenders to notify either the sheriff or the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

-- Laramie and Natrona counties notified by mail residents living within 750 feet of a sex offender, but sheriff's deputies in other counties notified residents by going door-to-door.

The proposed bill requires offenders to register with the sheriff's office within three working days from the time of their sentence or the time when they moved to the county of their residence. It also requires them to register in the counties outside the county of their residence where they work or attend school.

The three-day vs. 10-day requirement caused a problem in Goshen County, where an offender read the part of the law mentioning 10 days and registered after the three-day requirement, Oedekoven said later. The offender was not prosecuted for this violation, he added.

The requirement to register with the sheriff and not the DCI further streamlines the process, Kevin Smith of the DCI told the committee. "This will go after people who skirt registration by moving frequently."

It also saves the confusion of an offender being questioned by the sheriff when the offender thought he did the right thing by notifying the DCI.

The notification must be in person and not written, and the offender must be photographed, fingerprinted and palmprinted. The offender also must describe his vehicle and give the sheriff the license plate number, and give a DNA sample, according to the proposed bill.

After an offender registers with the sheriff, the sheriff notifies the DCI, which notifies the victim or the minor victim's family.

Offenders convicted of lesser sex crimes must report to the sheriff in person annually, and those convicted of more serious crimes with minors must report in person more frequently, according to the proposed bill.

The proposed bill also would allow counties options to notify residents.

The mail notification in Laramie and Natrona counties is working well, and other counties would like to do that, Oedekoven said.

The door-to-door notification, especially in rural areas, costs sheriff's offices money in overtime and in manpower, he said.

However, Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, said he personally had done door-to-door notification about sex offenders and believed people liked that because he could answer their questions.

Smith of the DCI responded that the state's Web site -- attorneygeneral.state.wy.us/dci -- has much of the information people want. ..News Source.. by TOM MORTON
Star-Tribune staff writer

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WY- Sex offender’s case shows gap in system

This is absolute proof that lawmakers DO NOT want to PREVENT sex offenses, they WANT them to happen so they can get credit for capturing those who will commit them.

Lawmakers abuse their powers by enacting laws that FAIL to PREVENT sex offenses, in this case, the offender (like John Couey who murdered Jessica Lundsford) ASKED for help, but there was none because of the failure of lawmakers!

Registration laws began around 1995, 13 years ago, and still no therapy has been approved by lawmakers, but billions of dollars for TRACKING (aftera crime is committed) is approved with regularity! Gaps? This demonstrates the Grand Canyon of failures and it occurs nationally.


6-18-2008 Wyoming:

Wyoming’s lack of programs means man will spend 35 to 50 years in penitentiary after sting.

An arguably mentally handicapped man sentenced to prison for most of the rest of his life because there is no other place for him highlights a gap in Wyoming’s criminal justice system.

Lloyd Christopher Belles, 39, was sentenced Friday to 35 to 50 years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary for one felony count of attempted sexual abuse of a minor.

That’s the longest sentence issued by 9th District Judge Nancy Guthrie in at least the last few years, according to attorneys.

Jackson police arrested Belles in a sting operation on Halloween after he appeared at a motel room with a towel and candy. He was instructed to bring those items to the specified room after an undercover officer, through an acquaintance of Belles’, arranged for Belles to have sex with a fictional minor, according to court records.

Suspect sought help

But before that sting, Belles went to Smokey Rhea and Tommy Wood at the Community Resource Center, which serves as a hub for social services.

“From the very beginning, he was saying, ‘help me, help me,’” Rhea said. “He would tell me, ‘Smokey, I don’t want you to be disappointed in me, but I’m really afraid I’m going to hurt someone.’”

That was in August after Belles was released from the state prison, where he’d spent the last 16 years for two previous convictions for fondling a 6-year-old girl and a having a sexual encounter with a 12-year-old boy.

By September, Wood said he and Rhea and Belles were on a mad hunt for resources. Everywhere they looked, they found locked doors.

There are no resources in Wyoming for sex offenders.

Wood said he found several private rehabilitation programs that would accept Belles if he could pay $40,000 up front or if he had insurance.

They even called the Teton County Attorney’s Office and made an effort to have Belles institutionalized.

He turned himself in to St. John’s Medical Center and said he was a danger to himself and others because of his urges to have sex with young girls and dogs. He was held at St. John’s for 16 days before a bed opened at the state mental hospital in Evanston, Rhea said. They held him there for the required two weeks and then brought him back to Jackson, Rhea said.

He had nowhere to go. The state hospital said it would take him to Orvill’s Mission. But the mission was closed, Wood said.

State hospital representatives did not return phone calls for comment.

No resources

The state hospital does not treat sex offenders, said Belles’ court-appointed attorney Neal Stelting,

Neither does anyone else. The only in-patient program for sex offenders in Wyoming is at the state prison, said Roger McDaniel, deputy director of the Wyoming Department of Health’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division.

“There’s something wrong with the system when we have someone who says, ‘I need help and I don’t want to hurt someone’ and they can’t get help,” Wood said.

Rhea, who met Belles 16 years ago when she worked for Community Entry Services, which helps mentally disabled people, said he was abused in the institutions he’s lived in since he was 10 years old. His IQ is just above the level at which he would be considered mentally retarded. If he were officially mentally retarded, he would qualify for more social services and there would be more ways to help him, Rhea said.

She said Belles was caught in a sting operation. But what happens the next time someone who was failed by the system is released back into a community? Maybe they won’t be caught before they hurt someone, Rhea cautioned.

As a mother, she said, if her daughter was molested and she found out the man who did it was trying to get help, she would come undone.

While the sting operation saved children from Belles, she said, it doesn’t get to the root of a community problem.

Searching for answers

She said the state and community need programs to help sex offenders.

“We failed Chris,” Rhea said. “Please, let’s not fail anyone else.”

Mental health and substance-abuse counselors from around the state met for a conference in Evanston this week. Keith Gingery, a state representative and deputy prosecuting attorney for Teton County, said sex-offender treatment was a hot topic.

“We do have programs,” Gingery said. “Can we do better? Of course.”

There are only outpatient programs in scattered communities. The nearest one to Jackson Hole is in Rock Springs, too far for a Teton County resident to travel regularly, especially if he’s borderline mentally retarded, said Deb Sprague, executive director of Jackson Hole Community Counseling.

Sprague said her center doesn’t offer services for sex offenders because sex-offender treatment requires specialized training, certification and equipment and there’s not enough demand in Jackson Hole to merit offering it.

“This is not just a problem in Wyoming,” said state official McDaniel.

Most states struggle with how to treat, house and contain serious sex offenders. He said some states are filling their prisons with them because judges don’t want to release them into the community. Some places are having to build geriatric units for the sex offenders growing old in the system, McDaniel said. Some states are building facilities where sex offenders can spend their lives. Some states are trying vigorous monitoring programs on probation. It’s an issue Wyoming officials talked about extensively at a conference in Evanston this week.

“The biggest problem is that there’s no consensus in the counseling community that this disorder can be effectively treated,” McDaniel said.

Rhea agreed that treatment wasn’t a likely solution for Belles.

“I’m the last person to defend a sex offender,” she said.

But she has wanted to see state resources for sex offenders for the last 15 years, she said. She hoped the Belles case might be good ammunition for a lawsuit against the state that would generate resources where there are currently none. But Belles has no money and no powerful friends and family to press a lawsuit, she said.

Though it was sunny outside Friday, Brian Hultman, deputy prosecuting attorney for Teton County, said it was “a dark day in the courtroom.”

With no alternatives, Hultman said he had no choice but to recommend a maximum sentence.

“I do that to protect the people I serve,” Hultman said.

Belles faced 10 to 50 years for the felony charge. The penalties were greater because of two previous convictions from 1992 in Teton County.

Stelting referred Friday to a fable probation agent Art Wolf wrote in Belles’ presentence report. The fable is the story of a scorpion who convinces a frog to carry it across the river on its back. The scorpion tells the frog that if he stings the frog, they’ll both surely die. Halfway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog and the frog asks why. The scorpion replies that he is a scorpion.

“That could apply to Chris Belles,” Stelting said. “But it could also be the system. Chris Belles was trying to get help and he’s the one who got stung. He was stung by the system.”

Stelting asked Guthrie to sentence Belles to a shorter prison term and order him into a new treatment program in the prison system for sex offenders. And he asked that if Belles graduated from the program, the judge allow him to be eligible for parole with strict supervision.

“There should be other alternatives,” Stelting said, “and it’s sad that there aren’t.”

Guthrie said she agreed with Belles’ advocates and Hultman that the situation was a sad one.

“The state has failed you,” Guthrie said to Belles. “But just because the system has failed you, I cannot fail my responsibility.”

Belles will serve 35 to 50 years and may participate in a sex-offender counseling program when authorities at the Wyoming State Penitentiary deem it’s appropriate. She gave him credit for time served, including the 30 days of voluntary confinement.
..News Source.. by Amanda H. Miller

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