by 
Saturday, February 2, 2013
In California, a registered sex offender is not permitted to live within 1,000 feet of a school. In recent news, a registered sex offender is attempting to get an exemption from the city of Murrieta in California so that he and his family can move into a different house. According to the Murrieta Patch, the offender’s name was not released.
The offender is now 34 years old and the parent of a young child. He currently lives in California. He was convicted of the crime when he was 19 and living in Utah. Utah requires offenders to register as a sex offender for 10 years after the crime, but California requires registration for life.
California laws are less strict than the city of Murrieta laws, however. “The city of Murrieta puts further restrictions on sex offenders. An ordinance approved in 2010 made it a misdemeanor if a sex registrant whose conviction involves an offense against a child resides within 2,000 feet of schools, parks or day care centers,” according to the Murrieta Patch. This further exacerbates the problem for the offender and his family.
The man told the Murrietta council that he has served his 10 years of registration in Utah and has sought to have his name removed from Megan’s Law Lists. According to the Megan’s Law list, he was convicted of attempted rape by force or fear.
During his appeal to the council, the man said, “I guess you could categorize it as something stupid I did as a teenager…getting mixed up with a girl at a party and her fiancé finding out,” he said. “For the last 15 years it is something I have dealt with… I have become a lot stronger person for it and become a lot better of a person for it, as unfortunate as it all was… Now I have a wife and a little daughter and we have lived here several years… Unfortunately I also happen to be one of Murrieta’s registered sex offenders.”
He and his family were forced to move out of their rental property because it was sold. The man said that because his crime had nothing to do with children, he should be allowed to live within 2,000 ft. of a school. He also requested a temporary exemption to move in with his in-laws, who live within 1,000 feet of a school, while he looks for his own home.
According to Murrieta police, this is the first time an exemption was requested by a registered sex offender.
The council will have to decide if they can or should rule against the ordinance to create an exemption. They might have to look closer at the ordinance to see if it is too strict, as well.
