[url]http://www.caller.com/news/2009/oct/30/authorities-working-to-ensure-sex-offenders-on/[/URL]
CORPUS CHRISTI — The streets of Corpus Christi will be safer on Halloween for children, police said Friday.
Federal, state and local authorities began checking compliance of 767 registered Corpus Christi sex offenders in September and 30 were not living at addresses they had reported to authorities. Warrants were issued for them in October and 19, all men, have been arrested, said Carlos Alvarado, U.S. Marshals’ Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force manager.
“This is a safer day for Corpus Christi’s children,” Police Chief Troy Riggs said.
Those arrested will face charges ranging from first- to third-degree felonies, depending on their original convictions and the pattern of their noncompliance, said District Attorney Carlos Valdez. The men will be prosecuted locally, he said.
There are still some offenders who have not been found, said Cmdr. David Torres, and police plan increased patrols through Halloween. Officers with the Marshal’s task force, Nueces County Sheriff’s Department, Corpus Christi Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Nueces County’s probation office are looking for them, Torres said.
Of the 767 registered sex offenders, 116 of them are classified at the highest level assessed for pedophiles, he said. These offenders are required to attend a
6 to 10 p.m. meeting today during traditional trick-or-treating times.
“We want them off the street and (here) for a film presentation regarding compliance,” Torres said. “Most are compliant, but their appearance, residences and vehicles change, so we need to update photos and files to ensure their full compliance
CORPUS CHRISTI — The streets of Corpus Christi will be safer on Halloween for children, police said Friday.
Federal, state and local authorities began checking compliance of 767 registered Corpus Christi sex offenders in September and 30 were not living at addresses they had reported to authorities. Warrants were issued for them in October and 19, all men, have been arrested, said Carlos Alvarado, U.S. Marshals’ Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force manager.
“This is a safer day for Corpus Christi’s children,” Police Chief Troy Riggs said.
Those arrested will face charges ranging from first- to third-degree felonies, depending on their original convictions and the pattern of their noncompliance, said District Attorney Carlos Valdez. The men will be prosecuted locally, he said.
There are still some offenders who have not been found, said Cmdr. David Torres, and police plan increased patrols through Halloween. Officers with the Marshal’s task force, Nueces County Sheriff’s Department, Corpus Christi Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Nueces County’s probation office are looking for them, Torres said.
Of the 767 registered sex offenders, 116 of them are classified at the highest level assessed for pedophiles, he said. These offenders are required to attend a
6 to 10 p.m. meeting today during traditional trick-or-treating times.
“We want them off the street and (here) for a film presentation regarding compliance,” Torres said. “Most are compliant, but their appearance, residences and vehicles change, so we need to update photos and files to ensure their full compliance
