Sex offenders residing too close to schools could be forced to relocate at cutoff today

At least one of four convicted sex offenders living within 1,000 feet of Athens County schools could be forced to move today, said County Prosecutor C. David Warren.

Warren told media on Wednesday that 10 sex offenders had registered with addresses within 1,000 feet of local school property - a violation of state law. He later revised that number down to four.

A clerical error switched one man's home and work address, making him appear in violation. The remaining five all lived within 1,000 feet of a property formerly owned by the Nelsonville-York school district; the county auditor's maps hadn't been updated to reflect the change. The Post incorrectly reported on Thursday that those five men were living too close to a school.

We're learning from some of the circumstances that came up

Warren said.

Warren said the four remaining men were told to move and report new addresses by yesterday. As of yesterday afternoon, three of the four hadn't reported and a fourth, who Warren wouldn't name, declined to move, he said.

The county auditor's office used aerial photographs and mapping software to create the maps, said Jill Thompson, county auditor. The software highlights circles around school property, marked in blue, and marks property where sex offenders report they live in red.

Warren said he will release the result of a second check - for sex offenders living within 1,000 feet of marked daycares - next week.

Once both school property and daycares are marked on the map, the sheriff's office can stop sex offenders from registering to live within 1,000 feet of either. A sex offender could still show up at a middle school basketball game or work near the school, though, Warren said.

It's not my call all I'm doing is enforcing the law Warren said, adding he has no problem forcing perverts to move away from schools.

In three separate cases, though, Warren can't make convicted sex offenders move away from schools. Those three have challenged a recent federal law that changed sex-offender classification and reporting requirements. Until several legal challenges to the law are resolved, the offenders aren't required to move.

Warren said he began investigating whether sex offenders were complying with the law after receiving an anonymous tip about a man living in his neighborhood.

Gee

we missed that one. How many others did we miss? Warren said, describing his reaction when he checked out the tip.