Sexual Predators

Bill targets sexual predators By GUY FLETCHER Staff Writer ANNAPOLIS - Rapists, stalkers and other sexual predators could be committed to a psychiatric hospital after they are released from prison, under legislation filed in the Maryland House of Delegates. "We are trying to save our citizens from further victimization," said Del. Sue Hecht, D-Frederick/Washington, co-sponsor of the Sexually Violent Predator Act. For Hecht, the legislation has personal meaning.

The 83 people listed on Maryland's online registry of sex offenders for Hagerstown's 21740 zip code are, for the most part, ordinary looking men. Except for a few who gave the camera lens a hard stare, most of them have none of the predatory appearance many citizens have come to expect from Hollywood movies. In most cases, you wouldn't look twice if you saw them on a city street. That's the problem, of course. After their release from prison, they have to live somewhere - maybe next door to you. If they're in your neighborhood, it should be a concern, for reasons noted in a three-day series done this week by The Herald-Mail's Pepper Ballard.

Bill would confine sexual predators indefinitely ANNAPOLIS - a Senate committee began work Tuesday on legislation, prompted by the death of a 9-year-old Frederick, Md., boy, that would allow violent sexual predators to be confined indefinitely in a mental hospital. The proposed legislation would not have prevented the death of Christopher Ausherman, however. Elmer Spencer Jr., charged in Christopher's rape and murder, would not have come under the program because his previous case had been plea bargained down to an assault charge.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Sexual predators, icy sidewalks and traffic prompted two Waynesboro Area School District students' mothers to ask Tuesday whether they can have school bus service. Both families live in the Borough of Waynesboro and within the state regulations for which students should walk to school. Transportation reimbursement is provided to schools for elementary students living more than one and a half miles away from school and secondary school students living two miles away.

Bill would force state to post sex offenders on Web By LAURA ERNDE / Staff Writer ANNAPOLIS - Maryland lawmakers are disturbed that the state has not posted the names of sex offenders on the Internet, despite a law passed two years ago allowing that to be done. continued Sen. Donald F. Munson, R-Washington, filed a bill this week to require the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to post the names and photos of sex offenders on the Internet.

Editorial - The consequences of sex When it comes to teen pregnancy, teachers who provide family life education in local schools see a pattern: Teenage girls who are physically mature for their age and men in their 20s (or older) who are a little bit immature mentally. The combination may not hold true for every relationship, but it does hold up often enough that Pennsylvania officials have tried to craft a law that would hold adult men responsible if they have sex with underage girls.

The mission of the Maryland Commission for Women includes serving as a statewide resource to expand social, political and economic opportunities for all women. That covers many things, including celebrating the achievements of women and publicizing health issues such as post-partum depression that affect the state's female citizens. But in 2007, the commission's task is a bit more urgent - trying to make sure that Maryland's youngest females don't fall victim to sexual predators.

Cameras are OK To the editor: As a regular subscriber of this newspaper for years, I enjoy reading the opinion page, including mail call. Some that make sense, I agree with, while some remarks reveal the ignorance and naivety of the caller. Mail call on Feb. 8 had a very good message that I think deserves more exposure to the public ear, so I will quote it as it was published. "I just got to reading about the bill that lets cameras nab speeders in addition to the drivers that run red lights.

As the number of children using the Internet increases, so does the risk of them being victimized by sexual predators, an author of a book on the subject said Thursday. cont. from front page That risk can be reduced by taking precautions, such as making sure youngsters know not to give out personal information, said Debbie Mahoney, author of "Innocence Lost: Protecting Your Child From the Trauma of Abuse. " "We can be careful but not fearful," said Mahoney, the founder of Safeguarding Our Children-United Mothers, a Tracey, Calif.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Sexual predators, icy sidewalks and traffic prompted two Waynesboro Area School District students' mothers to ask Tuesday whether they can have school bus service. Both families live in the Borough of Waynesboro and within the state regulations for which students should walk to school. Transportation reimbursement is provided to schools for elementary students living more than one and a half miles away from school and secondary school students living two miles away.

The mission of the Maryland Commission for Women includes serving as a statewide resource to expand social, political and economic opportunities for all women. That covers many things, including celebrating the achievements of women and publicizing health issues such as post-partum depression that affect the state's female citizens. But in 2007, the commission's task is a bit more urgent - trying to make sure that Maryland's youngest females don't fall victim to sexual predators.

School system went way too far in pinching case To the editor: I could not believe my eyes when I read that a kindergarten student was written up for sexual harassment. OK, so he pinched a little girl on the bottom. Was it right? No it was not. Was it sexual harassment? I hardly think so. Then to see that 22 kindergarten students had been suspended over the past year. I know that laws have been passed in this state dealing with sexual harassment, but I can't help but feel that when they were passed there was confidence that they would be interpreted with a level of intelligence.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - For the Washington County Sheriff's Department, recent changes in the Maryland Sex Offender Registry law mean more responsibilities and 50 more offenders to track. The sheriff's department will use a $30,000 state grant to hire a part-time employee to help register and track additional offenders, said Lt. Art Overcash,who oversees the county's sex offender registry. The money also will pay for overtime for deputies to verify offenders' addresses. "They'll be checking on them every week," said Overcash, the department's support services supervisor.

Over the many years The Herald-Mail has covered court cases, reporters have repeatedly heard expert witnesses repeat one chilling statement - adults who are sexually attracted to children rarely, if ever, beat that addiction. That's why we favor the proposals put forth by Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran. Until there is a cure for this disease, the state must do everything possible to keep it from affecting innocent children. Curran, flanked by legislative leaders, announced his proposals this week, saying he had come to believe changes were needed after surveying what other states do. Maryland is right in the middle, he said, in terms of how effectively ex-offenders in this category are monitored.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A former Maryland prison guard who pleaded no contest earlier this year to molesting a boy will have to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life after a hearing Monday in Franklin County Court. Judge John R. Walker ordered that David S. Ardinger, 40, formerly of Mercersburg, Pa., be designated a sexually violent predator and thus subject to the lifetime registration requirements of Pennsylvania's Megan's Law once he is released from prison.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A Harrisburg, Pa., man convicted of attempting to rape a school teacher qualifies as a sexually violent predator under Pennsylvania's version of Megan's Law, according to a behavioral psychologist. Douglas Paul Wingert's record of sexual offenses over more than 20 years "stood out the most," Dr. Robert Stein of Lancaster, Pa., testified during the hearing Monday before Franklin County Judge Carol Van Horn. The designation would require police to notify neighbors of where Wingert lives for the rest of his life, according to state law. Van Horn said she would issue a ruling on the designation later and scheduled Wingert's sentencing for March 9. "This statute was written specifically for people like Douglas Paul Wingert," Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Nancy Meyers told Van Horn.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -Two Franklin County men convicted of sexual assaults against minors have received the designation of sexually violent predator and will be listed as such for the rest of their lives under Pennsylvania's version of Megan's Law. Shawn Paul Lesher, 22, no fixed address, received the designation during a hearing before Judge Carol Van Horn earlier this year. On Wednesday, she sentenced Lesher to two to 10 years in state prison on a charge of aggravated indecent assault, a second-degree felony.