8-21-2012 Florida:
COCOA -- Residents living in a North Cocoa neighborhood said they are afraid of what they call “an ever-growing” tent city just yards away from them.
However, it’s who is living there that has them especially concerned.
“There's four sex offenders and one predator living in these woods right here,” said Ennis Shelton.
Shelton has lived in North Cocoa's River Heights neighborhood on U.S. 1 and S.R. 528 for the past decade.
“I don't think it's right that sex predators can be in the woods, and call it their home,” Shelton said. “And people don't know there's people like that living in the streets behind them.”
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website, there are four registered sex offenders and a predator living in the woods behind the Walmart.
Police said this is all legal due to some recent legislation that passed.
Offenders still can't live within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare, park or playground, which limits where they can stay.
But there is nothing stopping them from walking through a neighborhood or on public streets.
They must register with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office within 48 hours if they move, and re-register every six months where they are re-fingerprinted and photographed.
“At this point, we need to educate people because they are allowed to list themselves as homeless, but they do have to give us an idea of the area they are staying in,” said Officer Barbara Matthews, a spokeswoman for the Cocoa Police Department.
In this case, it’s the woods behind Walmart.
But Shelton disagrees.
“I want to know that the police know where they are, and a tent in the woods is not 'where you are,'” Shelton said.
The issue is, however, the offenders are camping on private property.
Cocoa police said they are meeting with the property owner to see if they will be allowed to stay.
There are currently 50 registered sex offenders and three predators in the city of Cocoa. ..Source.. by Greg Pallone, Reporter
August 21, 2012
Ever-growing tent city of sex offenders has neighbors worried
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
There's an obvious solution to this problem. If Mr. Shelton is so concerned about them living in the woods, he simply needs to provide them with suitable housing elsewhere! Then they won't have to live in the woods any longer.
ReplyDelete