Texans may not have expected this news near Christmas, but a Dec. 16 report has said one Texas town has been outraged by finding out that a sex offender has been allowed to be Santa Claus this year. The man, a registered sex offender, has allegedly been inviting children to sit on his lap, much like Santa would be expected to do.
In Texas, this isn’t against the law. The background of this story may help explain the situation. The 54-year-old man was arrested in 1998 and sentenced for 12 years in prison for the sexual assault of an 11-year-old boy in Ohio. However, in this current situation, the man wasn’t actually breaking any laws at all, so the police let him go without an arrest or citation of any kind. He was not on parole or probation, so he wasn’t under any stipulation to be away from children younger than 17. In addition, there is no legal prohibition against a convicted sex offender being Santa.
While some people may be taken aback by the law, it is beneficial for some people who may be facing sex offense charges or have been previously convicted. Despite the way sex offenders are treated, there are many ways to end up on a sex offender registration, and not all have to do with children or things like rape. A poor outcome for a case could even place an innocent person on the list.
With outcries like this, it’s obvious why it’s important to defend yourself if you’re accused of a sex offense. The social stigma for sex offenders is pronounced, and you shouldn’t have to face that if you don’t need to.
Source: 10 News, “Santa sex offender found in Texas… and not arrested!” Dec. 16, 2014