With Halloween just around the corner, Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree is urging area parents to educate themselves about potential sex offenders residing in their neighborhoods before their kids head out for Trick-or-Treating.
“Summit County has over 1,000 registered sex offenders residing in every corner of our county,” said Sheriff Fatheree. “We don’t want to scare residents or discourage families from enjoying the Halloween fun, but it is important that parents know ahead of time which homes they might want to avoid when Trick-or- Treating or engaging in other door-to-door activities.”
According to OffenderWatch.com, 80% of Americans live within one mile of a registered sex offender. In more heavily-populated counties like Summit, it’s not uncommon to find several sex offenders living within the same neighborhood. It is important to note, however, that not all offenders committed a crime against a minor, and that Ohio utilizes a Tier system for offense classification.
The Sheriff’s Office maintains Summit County’s sex offender database. Residents can search for sex offenders in their area by going to the Sheriff’s Office website and clicking “Registered Sex Offenders” in the Information tab. They can also use the interactive map on the Summit County Sheriff’s Office mobile app, which is available for download on all mobile devices.
Sheriff Fatheree urges parents to always accompany their children when Trick-or- Treating, and to talk to them ahead of time about the dangers of predators.
“Explain to your child that most people are good and do not want to hurt them, but that there is someone in their neighborhood who did hurt another person and should be avoided,” said Sheriff Fatheree. “Use the opportunity as a learning experience with your child, and develop a plan with them around what they should do if approached by such an individual.”
For more tips on how to talk to your children about sex offenders, check out OffenderWatch.com.
