Special report examines dangers of sex offenders in nursing homes

Hopefully the upcoming report will include: 1) No. of sex offenses committed in the nursing home; 2) No. of former sex offenders residing in the nursing home; 3) No. of felons (excluding former sex offenders) residing in the nursing home; 4) Whether any sex offense committed in the nursing home was committed by a former sex offender, a felon, or other person (employee or otherwise).

10-10-16 Ohio:

Nursing homes residents are among our most vulnerable citizens and safeguards are in place to protect them. But an investigation by this newspaper found that many seniors are not always safe from registered sex offenders who might be living down the hall.

The I-Team found that about 140 sex offenders reside in 43 nursing homes across Ohio. That number likely is higher because reporting requirements for offenders have changed in recent years.

We uncovered stories about assaults and attempted assaults in nursing homes across the state – from a 48-year-old paraplegic who raped an elderly woman; to a man who paid a developmentally disabled woman 75 cents to perform sex acts on him; and even a 45-year-old sex offender who attempted to rape a nurse.

Some sex offenders in nursing homes are barely mobile and not capable of harming their neighbors, but many remain capable of committing crimes.

“There isn’t something that happens to someone when they turn 50, 60 or 70, that they become this perfect grandparent,” said Doug McGarry, executive director of the Area Agency on Aging. “If someone has deviancy when they were younger, it doesn’t necessarily go away because they’ve had a birthday.”

We’ll explore this important topic this week on our websites. A special report will be published in Sunday’s Dayton Daily News. ..Source.. by Katie Wedell - Staff Writer