Lets hope this is the last thing that is said about this. it’s getting a little silly now.

For the record, he officially lives in the county, not within the city of Satsuma’s boundaries. Our question is, did they just open the door and he walked out of prison after completing his sentence?
Did he transfer from one jurisdictional oversight body to another? If it’s his responsibility to register with police, schools, etc, etc, and if so, how many days does he have to perform this registration. We just have questions and are looking for what procedure or method the applicable agencies and government bodies in the state of Alabama use to ensure enforcement of this law. We just want to know so that a situation like this in the future can be avoided, both for the offender who has been placed in a bad situation and for the protection of our children.

This is exactly what we are trying to find out, who is responsible. The law states “15-20-25

(a) Within five business days after the responsible agency provides notice of a release or intent to transfer residence of any adult criminal sex offender, the following procedures shall apply:

(2) In all other cities in Alabama with a resident population of 5,000 or more, the chief of police, or if none then the sheriff of the county, shall notify all persons who have a legal residence within 1,500 feet of the declared residence of the adult criminal sex offender and all schools and child care facilities within three miles of the declared residence of the adult criminal sex offender, that the adult criminal sex offender will be establishing his or her residence.

b) A community notification flyer shall be made by regular mail or hand delivered to all legal residences required by this section. In addition, any other method reasonably expected to provide notification may be utilized, including, but not limited to, posting a copy of the notice in a prominent place at the office of the sheriff and at the police station closest to the declared residence of the released criminal sex offender, publicizing the notice in a local newspaper, or posting electronically, including the Internet, or other means available.

Bottom line, he was released and transfered residence from one place to another, and the five working day notification was not followed. WHO, we don’t know.

It doesn’t look like the people in Satsuma will have to look very far to see who dropped the ball does it?Appreciate the response Robert to the question about the difference between the two.That was way faster than any other question I’ve asked the state about anything.

In a nutshell, when someone is placed in prison then released on parole by the Parole Board, they are on parole and under the jurisdiction of the Board.

When someone is placed on probation by the sentencing judge then they remain under the jurisdiction of the sentencing judge.  A judge may sentence an offender to a Split Sentence, where that offender servers some portion in prison, and is then released by that judge from prison where the offender will serve the remainder of his time on probation (which was the case with this offender).

All sex offenders are required to register if they fall under the Act.  The offender discussed in this story was properly registered.  His probation officer investigated the situation and found this to be the case. 

We just like to set the record straight as offenders are commonly reported to have been released on parole by the Parole Board when often this is not the case.  Though the story does not specifically state that he was released on parole, it refers to “Once they made that decision at the parole board and approved this residence”, which was not the case. The Board did not have jurisdiction to decide this case or release and did not release this offender into the community.

We are always happy to answer questions and assist people in the communities around the state with their concerns.

—Robert Oakes
  Assistant Executive Director
  Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles

I’m not quite sure if I know the difference between probation and parole ROBERT.Does being on probation mean you don’t have to register with the local police department when you move into their area if your a sex offender? I have always assumed you would have to register with the local police if you were a convicted sex offender.I really don’t know if you do or do not,just asking.

To set the record straight, this offender is NOT on parole, that is misinformation.  The sex offender is on probation out of Mobile County.  He was not paroled by the parole board nor did he ever have a hearing by the parole board.  He was also properly registered as a sex offender.

It doesn’t bode well for the parolee or either the police department.Seems someone dropped the ball.If it starts out like this with the parolee,it’s hard to imagine it getting better.

Isn’t it the sex offender’s responsiblity to notify the local authorities when they move into an area?
Maybe the Police chief needs to start with him.