50A - ORDINANCE - SEX OFFENDERS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Nov. 17, 2011, to 100 days in Orange County Jail and five years of formal probation with other probation terms. In August 2011, Richard Ernest Hibbard, 72, transient, became the first defendant to be convicted under the County Child Safety Zone Ordinance. Hibbard is a registered sex offender stemming from a misdemeanor child annoyance conviction from Los Angeles County. Since then, he has been convicted of numerous felonies and misdemeanors for failing to register as a sex offender in 1998, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. On July 21, 2011, at about 5:00 p.m., deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) responded to Dana Point Harbor. A citizen approached OCSD deputies and asked them to keep an eye on the defendant because he was "belligerent around the kids;" using profane language, and talking loudly. There were at least 10 children in the immediate vicinity where Hibbard had been standing on the dock sidewalk. On Aug. 10, 201 1 , he pleaded guilty to being in violation of Ordinance 3-18- 3 (prohibited offender entering a County park) and was sentenced to 31 days in jail. In October 2011, the City of Westminster became the first Orange County city to convict a sex offender for violating the Child Safety Zone Ordinance. Steve James Dietrich is a registered sex offender stemming from convictions for rape by force and oral copulation with a minor under 14 years of age by force or fear. On July 16, 2011, and Aug. 6, 2011, Dietrich was cited by the same police officer for entering a park where children regularly gather. He was convicted on Oct. 17, 2011. Dietrich was sentenced to probation and 60 days in jail. There are several cities undertaking this issue and considering enacting an ordinance modeled after or similar to the County Ordinance. Others are considering "residence restriction" types of ordinances or "loitering" types of statutes. Some cities are considering limiting the ban to those who have prior convictions with child victims. Although a ban against those individuals with convictions against child victims would be a good start, I would appreciate it if you would consider some of the points contained in this letter. You may find that we considered many of the same issues you are tackling and may come to similar conclusions. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS You may have heard that the Eldorado District Attorney released a disturbing videotape of child predators Philip and Nancy Garrido. The married couple was sentenced in April 201 1, to 431 years and 36 years to life in prison, respectively, for abducting former-Orange County resident, 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard, from a school bus stop and sexually assaulting her for 20 years. In one of the video clips, Phillip Garrido is singing in a park while directing his wife Nancy Garrido how to shoot the video. He asks her, "Got me good?" "I can see you really good," she answers. She then films a little girl on playground equipment behind him, the child's legs splayed. There are also other children playing on swings and on the playground. The Garridas are sexual predators, watching and filming children in parks. You can view the chilling video on the Internet at http://documents_latimes.com/-qarrido-dugard-evidence/. On Feb. 8, 2012, El Dorado County passed an ordinance similar to Orange County's. The ordinance makes it a misdemeanor for registered sex offenders to enter county public parks, playgrounds, recreational areas and many other locations where children regularly gather without written permission from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office. The El Dorado District Attorney's Office stated, "The recent case against Phillip Garrido is a good example of sex offenders' predatory behavior Phillip Garrido was a registered sex offender, who, even after kidnapping and imprisoning Jaycee Lee Dugard, would frequent parks and videotape children as they played, searching for his next victim.- 2 5OA-18