I moved from North Carolina to Illinois in 2010 and received a letter by the IL state police stating that I was no longer required to register and that I had completed my registration requirements in IL. This year (2014), a cop has decided that he would like to see me register even though the law states that I shouldn’t have to register unless convicted of another felony. I pleaded with him and said I was not required to register. Now, I find myself fighting a failure-to-register (FTR) case, as well as having my computers confiscated. I never thought I would have my rights violated like this, but obviously they can get away with pretty much anything they want without having to pay any consequence. The reason I had my computers confiscated is because I told him I referee hockey (men’s hockey), and he turned it around and said I reffed children’s hockey. So he took all of my computers with the hope of finding me soliciting services such as hockey and so forth to minors, which he won’t find. Nonetheless, I feel extremely violated and have never felt so depressed, scared and vulnerable as I do right this minute.
Personal narratives by people who have been harmed by oppressive sex offender registries.
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Sharyn, I suspect that just because Mike is not required to renew his registration on the Illinois SOR, that does not mean that he still isn’t listed as having been registered in the past. Likely the officer has been combing through the records, looking for people to hassle/shakedown.
The title of this explains it all. You can get caught up in a sting, whether you are in fact someone who prays on children, or you are in fact a law abiding citizen who had one huge mistake happen. It can take a matter of a few hours to torpedo your life. Lets move forward to fighting this isolated incident in court.. You have to pay your lawyer the same amount of money that a murderer would have to pay to fight that, yeah 20000 or more dollars and that is before the trial. (i have heard this from lawyers they set the fees right up next to murder) I might add that some sentences for example in Wisconsin are much longer than if you had actually murdered someone, or had actually slept with someone underage. I personally know someone who has murdered someone, i am not a friend i just know of him. He spent 23 years in prison. I also know someone who has actually slept with a minor and he was sentenced to 6 months in jail and a clean record after completion of probation and treatment. Lets take a sex sting for example…
You did not send any photos, you did not in fact meet a minor, they enticed you to commit the crime but laws are so ridiculous on these situations that its okay for them to do this. I am not saying that the person who is of age interacting is not at fault because they are for still talking to this person. No one knows that persons personal life, no one knows what kind of life situation they are going through that has made them impulsively act on it. At any rate the max sentence for a sting operation in Wisconsin can mean 65 years in prison and a 100000 dollar fine.
So after all the fighting, all the money, the loss of job, loss of relationships, loss of friends, loss of housing, housing rights, voting rights, firearm rights, many more rights, being attached to the system for the rest of your life. Can not freely travel, always needing permission from law enforcement. This is just some of the things i can think of or see why some people feel as if life is over. It does not seem like anyone in the general public in today’s society would ever give a second chance. Google is their go to after first meeting them, after reading about the records that second chance is shattered. Also trying to start a family sounds next to impossible, unless you find someone that is okay with carrying that registry around with them as well. I don’t get it the public could care less if they live or die? That is all wrong, this world is spinning in the wrong direction not just because of that. But literally people rely on the internet for their information, everything they know essentially will come from the internet one way or another. I support stings because they do in fact catch people who are on a day to day basis preying on children, but some cops go to far and get the wrong people into the situation. Not sure where i am going with all of this, but that is all i have. Had to rant about this.
I’m having trouble in greeneville tn the police here are continuing to harass and badger me cant have a life here . I understand people fear what they don’t know but when a man can’t buy land or have anything to make a future for himself, where does he turn? I’m facing two years due to people’s fear and bs. Who can i contact for help?
Mike, since you have the letter from the police in Il releasing you from S.O. registration and the law is that you don’t have to register unless convicted of another felony, how did this cop find you and what was his reason for taking your property? Are you still on parole? If you don’t have an attorney, you might want to contact John Irwin of Solutions in Justice. 1-888-577-4766 and just get some advice on your situation. It’s a free consultation.
God bless!