LEADING THE STATE IN MISSING SEX OFFENDERS

Why is it that New Hanover County leads the State in sex offenders that have failed to verify their address? Why are 12 sex offenders missing in New Hanover County? Charlotte's  Mecklenburg County has 11 missing, Pender has one, Brunswick two and Onslow County has zero missing. Information obtained from the State Sex Offender website.

Sex offenders frequently re-offend. The mother of one of Ellis Steele Guy's child victims is fearful that Guy will do just that, re-offend, in fact she guarantees it and I do too. Mr. Guy has repeatedly failed to verify his address. His punishment did not fit his crime, he is arrogantly in defiance of the laws by not following them to the letter and yet he was not charged the last time he failed to verify his address. Neither was Brian Dalton Rivenbark who was also living somewhere other than where he said he was living. Rivenbark was discovered, by WPD Officer Krumpler, by alert police work, to be living in New Hanover County rather than Pender County where he was listed as residing. Entering New Hanover County and failing to register is a crime that should have caused Rivenbark to be arrested by the Sheriff of New Hanover County. Instead he was given grace and a month or two later he was shot and  killed while attempting to rob a video poker speakeasy. Joseph Edward Duncan III is charged with killing three people as he kidnapped an 8 year old girl and her brother. The brother's body was ultimately found in an out of the way place. The girl was found alive by alert citizens that recognized her from a missing poster one month after her disappearance. Duncan used to speak out on his website looking for forgiveness for the brutal rape and torture of a 14 year old boy. Duncan was convicted for that crime and served time for it. For years Duncan swore he would not re-offend and yet he did, perhaps many times killing at least one of his victims.

So why does New Hanover County have 12 missing sex offenders?

You will have to contact Sheriff Sid Causey, the man in charge of knowing exactly where these sex offenders are. Ask him if it is safe, ask him if any or all 12 of those missing sex offenders pose less a threat than the homeless man he made a big deal out of and ran off the other day, ask him if he can assure you that everything is being done to locate those offenders.

Sheriff Causey can be reached at 910-341-4200 or by email at SCausey@nhcgov.com

Comments

[Morx]

We need new ways to deal with sex offender. They are who they are and nothing is going to ever stop them no matter how many times they claim they won't reoffend.

The Twisted Line

[Steven Mark Pilling]

Dear Tre:

This sort of thing is hardly confined to North Carolina, God knows! As I've always said, the law is only as good as the willingness of legal officials to enforce it. To all too many of our officals, keeping track of offenders is a secondary function.

There's a reason for this, though. One of them you just illustrated in your remarks. Again and again, incompetant and/or depraved judges let sex offenders, even those convicted of horrendous crimes against children, off the hook. Social workers tasked with keeping track of them are either overburdened or just plain don't care. Sheriffs and police chiefs- who are most often politicians first- don't want to dirty their hands with something they consider to be SEP (Someone Else's Problem).

Of course, given the extremely high rate of recidivism among child molestors, the question is- "Why are these predators allowed to roam free among us in the first place?" The answer: Because children no longer enjoy the special status of worth and affection among us that they once did... and that they deserve in any healthy, moral society. The chaotic and largely unenforced child protection laws in many states and on the federal level (among which, unfortunately, North Carolina has become particularly notorious) has contributed to this sad state of affairs.

[Steven Mark Pilling]

Dear Tre: I JUST noticed that this article is dated 2005! I only hope that, since that time, those offenders you mentioned were caught and returned to prison... forever.