[PJ] Looking to protect young children from convicted sex offenders, a Georgia sheriff had his deputies place signs on the lawns of sexual predators, warning children and parents not to trick-or-treat at the house.Upset that they were exposed by the sheriff, several of the felons have filed a suit, saying that the signs violated their rights to free speech and privacy.
The names and addresses of local sex offenders are already listed on several internet sites in addition to being posted at the sheriff's office. It makes no sense that the perverts believe they have a right to privacy when anyone can access their information that's freely and easily available.
Fox News:
The initiative began in 2018 when Butts County Sheriff Gary Long directed deputies to place "Warning! No Trick-or-Treat at this address!!" signs in the front yards of over 200 sex offenders registered in the county from Oct. 24-Nov. 2. The sheriff’s office plans to use the same tactic again this year, and three registered sex offenders have filed suit.
In a Facebook post, Sheriff Gary Long said he had instituted the signs as a result of the cancellation of a local Halloween festival, "Halloween on the Square," and the subsequent influx of door-to-door trick-or-treaters. He said they had been following Georgia law and protecting children when they implemented the public warnings.
The lawyer for the sex offenders, Mark Yurachek, told Fox News, "The law allows the sheriff to put a list of registered sex offenders at his office, at the courthouse, on the internet. It does not allow him to go door-to-door telling people you have a sex offender living next door to you."