INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

SEX OFFENDERS CAN LIVE ANYWHERE
Even Next To Schools And Day Care Centers By Lawrence J. Smith

           At least two Putnam County families have discovered that finding out about sex offenders in their neighborhood is a do-it-yourself project.

Bruce and Suzie                                Hopkins found out                                   about the sex offender                                next door though their                                daughter, Katie.  In                                       the course of                                      conducting research                                   about sex offenders                                     for one of her classes at Marshall University,  Katie decided to see which ones resided in  Putnam County.

They were shocked to discover that one, Earnest Martin Lanham lived next door to them on Main Street in the heart of Hurricane.

“She just came across it,” Bruce said.

According to the West Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry, Lanham, 46, was convicted in Ohio on September 25th, 2003 for Gross Sexual Imposition on a female between 13 and 17 years-old.  He served 11 months in prison, and was placed on five years supervised probation.

Like the Hopkins’, a Hurricane man said it was through his own research he discovered the close proximity of a sex offender. That discovery came, he said, though PutnamLIVE.com’s link to the Registry on the left side of this and other PutnamLIVE.com pages.

The man, who requested to remain anonymous, found one                                 not living near him, but                                 his son’s day care                                    center on Elm Street.                                 (Please see photos                                       with this story).                                    Nobody at the center,                                     he says, informed him                                that Carroll G. Lawson                               lives two doors down                                  from where his son                                  spends most of his day.

According to the                         Registry, Lawson, 80,                                 was convicted on                                      August 1st, 2003 for third degree sexual abuse of a family member. The age of the family member, at the time, was between 0- and 5-years old.

Lawson was sentenced to 90 days home confinement, the Registry says.

"This is why we publish links to the Registry," says PutnamLIVE.com Publisher Mark Hallburn. "The public has a right to know if a sex offender is in their community. We need this information to protect our families."

When contacted, Kathy Rhodes, who notes that she doesn’t run a formal day care center, but watches a handful of children during the day, says she’s aware that Lawson is a registered sex offender.  Though she’s informed parents about him, Rhodes said they have little to fear from Lawson.

“He owns the property, but that’s about it,” Rhodes says.  “He doesn’t actually live there.  He lives with his girlfriend in Jefferson Park.

Jefferson Park is off Harbor Lane, and adjacent to Hurricane Town Elementary School.

From her understanding, Rhodes says Lawson has plans to sell his property.  Hopefully, that will happen soon, Rhodes says.

“We’re hoping he moves away,” Rhodes says.

However, she can't force him to move, and neither can the concerned neighbors. West Virginia law protects Registered Sex Offenders from harassment. But it doesn't protect people from having a sex offender move next door.

 

No restrictions on moving into a neighborhood

It’s a common misperception, at least in West Virginia, that residents are to be notified if a sex offender is moving into their neighborhood, states Terri Swecker, the State Police Registry’s coordinator.  With limited exceptions, a sex offender, like anyone else, can move in or out of any neighborhood he or she sees fit.

“Basically, there are no restrictions on sex offenders,” Swecker says.

One of the ways residents would be informed of a sex offender moving into a neighborhood is if the State Police determined the offender was a particularly violent one, Swecker states.  Upon consultation with the county prosecuting attorney, the State Police could hold one, or a series of community meetings about the offender.

Other than that, Swecker says, “there are no requirements for them to know.”

Despite not knowing ahead of time about his presence, Hopkins says because Lanham’s not seen much, “It’s not really an issue now.”

Part of the reason, Hopkins says, is that once he and some of his neighbors found out about Lanham, they told the landlord.  Shortly after that, the landlord had a talk with him.

“He’s aware that we’re aware,” Hopkins says.

Awareness, Hallburn says, is the key. "Look at the Registry regularly," he says. "These people often move around. They must notify police within a few days. However, they often don't. The cops are playing catch-up with the creeps."

Hallburn started publishing Registered Sex Offenders when he was a Reporter for the Pt. Pleasant Register. "Nearly half of them moved out of Mason County," Hallburn recalls. "They ran like cockroaches when the light is turned on. We took out the trash."

Since the early days of PutnamLIVE.com, Hallburn has provided a link to the State Police Sex Offender Registry as a public safety service.

"I've had people stop me on the street telling me they found out a sex offender was living next door after accessing the link through PutnamLIVE.com," Hallburn says. "One creep tried applying at a Putnam County Christian school. They checked the State Police Registry and there was the Sex Offender. He wanted to work at a Christian school! The audacity of these people is frightening."

Police say anonymity is a way that sex offenders hide in society. That's why more and more law enforcement agencies are putting sex offender information on the Internet.

"And that's why we put a link on every page of PutnamLIVE.com," says Hallburn. "By taking away the sex offender's anonymity, we take away their power. They can run, but they can't hide."

 

     Carroll G.      Lawson