By David Grant Long

Despite recent fears generated by a convicted child molester living near a grade school in Cortez, most such crimes don’t involve the stereotypical stranger in a trench coat hanging out at a playground, Police Chief Roy Lane said Tuesday.

The great majority of those who prey sexually on the young and defenseless are parents, step-parents or other close family members who molest their own children, Lane said while addressing the concerns raised by one particular offender who, until recently, had rented homes close to Manaugh Grade School and then Kemper Grade School -- despite this being a violation of the terms of his probation.

So in this case the parents’ concerns were well-founded, Lane said, since the man had previously been charged with similar acts in three other states and failed to strictly adhere to the conditions of his sentence. He had been convicted of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust in San Miguel County, according to Lane, for luring a teenage boy to his residence and seducing him.

And although he had, as required by federal law, registered as a sex offender with Montezuma County authorities upon moving here a few months ago, the man then neglected to notify authorities that he’d legally changed his name. The offender registered under this new name only after being cited for not doing so, the chief explained, and is currently being evicted from his latest apartment in public housing because he failed to include information concerning his felony sex conviction on the application.

Upon learning of his presence in the neighborhood, parents near Kemper concerned for the safety of their children made numerous calls to the police department, which ultimately led to a meeting with Lane and Kemper Principal Howard Culp last week, even though the offender had, by that time, already moved on. Although he was never actually involved in any suspicious activity during the time he did live there, Lane said, he definitely represented a real threat, considering his past.

Lane said the probation violation had been reported to authorities in San Miguel County, but his period of probation was ended anyway.

Lane said he explained during the meeting what the parents and the kids themselves could do in general to prevent them from becoming victims of such predators, including common-sense measures such as having kids walk in twos and threes, wait at bus stops in small groups (or have a parent wait if a child is alone), and never go into a stranger’s house, accept gifts from him or her, or let anyone touch them in inappropriate ways.

And parents or other concerned citizen may examine the list of sexual offenders kept by his department to see if a potential problem exists.

"Anyone can see it -- it’s a public record," Lane said. "I can’t go out and put it on a billboard, but if anyone requests it, we can give it to them."

Still, Lane said, the majority of the sex offenders on the county’s registry were convicted of molesting a child or other close family member, not someone unknown to them. And others were convicted of date rape, or assaulting adults with whom they had a previous acquaintance.

The registry contains roughly four dozen names -- all but one of them male -- and includes addresses and dates of conviction. While any concerned member of the public is free to examine the list and view pictures of the offenders, Lane explained, neither the list or photos may be reproduced or taken from the building. The registry does not include the nature of the offenses, he said, but that information is also public record and available through the court system.

Lane said the chief value of the list to law enforcement was as a tool during investigations of any new sex crimes, since it gives an agency a place to start.

"In short, it lets us know who they are and where they’re at," he said.

Even though people convicted of other major crimes of violence are not required to register in their communities, Lane said he can understand why sex offenders are singled out.