This is a hard article to write, as I don’t want it to appear in certain Google searches. As the saying goes, the “names have been changed to protect the innocent”. In this case, however, some of the words have been “disguised” so they’re not so searchable. So, use your imagination to “decode”.
If you’re interested in monitoring whether a se~ual predator is living in your neighborhood, the Ohio Attorney General offers a search site for doing so. It’s called eSORN which stands for Electronic Se~ Offender Registration and Notification. The site compiles data from local sheriff’s offices. One can search by name or by map. The offenders appear in a list, and clicking on their names produces yet even more info on each predator.
When an offender moves into a neighborhood, the sheriff’s office sends a notification letter to residents within a certain radius. However, if your home is just outside that radius, you may not be alerted, which makes the eSORN site so handy.
If you’re considering buying property and are concerned that a predator might live within the area, it will be YOUR responsibility to determine a predator’s location near the property you’re considering for purchase. The following is an excerpt from the Columbus Board of Realtors Purchase Contract.
Ohio‘s S~x Offender Registration and Notification Law: If a s~x offender resides in the area, Ohio‘s S~x Offender Registration and Notification Law requires the local sheriff to provide written notice to certain members of the community. The notice provided by the sheriff is a public record and is open to inspection under Ohio‘s Public Records Law.The Buyer acknowledges that any information disclosed may no longer be accurate. The Buyer assumes responsibility to obtain accurate information from the sheriff’s office. The Buyer shall rely on the Buyer’s own inquiry with the local sheriff’s office and shall not rely on the Seller or any Broker involved in the transaction.
As we learned on NBC® Dateline’s “To Catch A Predator”, the bad guys look just like the guy next door. They’re fathers, brothers, grandpas, and members of the clergy and they live in all types of neighborhoods. So do your homework in advance to become an informed buyer.
EDITED: Be sure you use the link I’ve included here for the eSORN web site. It’s a gov’t link, not a dot com link. Using an address that you THINK it might be, could take you to a “bad” site. A mistake someone else just learned the hard way.
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