My neighbor... the sexual offender

[Lady's Human]

Most people keep wasp spray and other bug sprays away from living areas because of the hazards.

Probably wouldn't fly in court.

[sirrahbed]

Lots of good advice here. No, I would not say anything to this guy - just be on guard but not paranoid. $20 sounds like a good deal to have the lawn mowed. I am surprised that realtors don't let you know though, I assumed in this current day that they either would or would be *required* to let you know. I personally check http://www.familywatchdog.us/ from time to time for my own area and for the areas where my kids live. We also use concealed carry as was suggested - not for everyone but it is our right and is a good one.

[lvpets2002]

I so aggree with everyone else on not saying anything, but keep your guard up & eyes & ears wide open.. Now if the Realtors did know about him, they would not have to tell you since you dont have any children.. Now if you had children then I would think they by Law would have had to tell you.. Now your not close to a School are you?? If so then this S/O guy must move.. That is the law he cannot live within so many miles near a school.. He also is not to live anywhere near houses with children.. So that you might check into.. I aggree with Brian = Puckstop on the Gun issue..

[RICHARD]

Probably wouldn't fly in court.

Or wasp, mosquito or bee, either?

[lizbud]

Oh geeze. I guess forewarned is forearmed & I'd just keep a distance
from him. I would also not let him make any attempt to warm up to the dogs
or make a habit of coming around your house for anything.

[ramanth]

Regarding the wasp spray, it was mentioned as a tool to use in a few of the self defense books I read, however, it's prohibited in Michigan to use it as a form of self defense.

As for the realtor, he may of not known. The home was a HUD home which means it was sold by the government. I don't think who lives nearby affects the price tag they put on a house.

[Freedom]

I don't think who lives nearby affects the price tag they put on a house.

Sorry, this is SO wrong. July 19, 2010; but there are many, many reports along this line.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lo...-98633324.html
any "stigma or risk" associated with a home will affect its value.
. . . . .
A registered sex offender living nearby can make a home harder to sell and lower its value, according to a study by three Virginia professors.

The study found that the presence of a nearby offender reduced a home's value by about 9 percent and such houses took up to 10 percent longer to sell than homes with no registered sex offenders living close by.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lo...#ixzz0vgEYIEAP


http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20050...edoffender.htm
Most states, although specific legal obligations vary, require sellers, listing agents and buyer's agents to provide any known information about registered sex offenders living in the area.

"Under civil code 1102 and/or 2079 [in California] a seller has a duty to disclose any facts that might materially affect the value or desirability of the property and to disclose those facts to any prospective purchaser. So clearly, if you have a registered sex offender living across the street and you have actual knowledge of that then that should be disclosed," says Spilger.

Many purchase contracts now include disclosure information about how to look up information on registered sex offenders. Requirements may vary from state-to-state, but many times a real estate agent or seller must simply inform the prospective buyer about where to look up information in the registered sex offender database for that area.

So the broker -- unless you hired a BUYER'S BROKER to represent YOU -- is not required to tell you but is usually in most areas required to tell you how to do your own due diligence and check up on this.

[IRescue452]

My guess is his girlfriend got mad at him, judging by the 3rd degree and short sentence. Don't let your guard down, but don't rate him in the same category as child predators either. That's not fair since you don't know his story. I have a relative who's a sex offender for being with a 17 year old when he was 18 or 19. She got mad at him. Sure he was stupid for being with somebody underage, but he isn't a child molestor and he isn't predatory. Get an alarm system if you don't already have one. And don't use a toxic chemical like wasp spray on anybody unless you want to be charged and sent to prison yourself.

[Lady's Human]

Regarding the wasp spray, it was mentioned as a tool to use in a few of the self defense books I read, however, it's prohibited in Michigan to use it as a form of self defense..

The self defense book authors don't have to deal with the legal aftermath of hitting someone in the face with chemicals that can affect the nervous system.

A handgun is pretty much self defense.

Using Toxins as defense? It's no longer considered self defense.

[Karen]

My guess is his girlfriend got mad at him, judging by the 3rd degree and short sentence. Don't let your guard down, but don't rate him in the same category as child predators either. That's not fair since you don't know his story. I have a relative who's a sex offender for being with a 17 year old when he was 18 or 19. She got mad at him. Sure he was stupid for being with somebody underage, but he isn't a child molestor and he isn't predatory. Get an alarm system if you don't already have one. And don't use a toxic chemical like wasp spray on anybody unless you want to be charged and sent to prison yourself.

If you look at his age (currently 38) the date of the offense (2002) and that the other party involved had to be between the ages of 13 and 17, I doubt it was a "girlfriend mad at him" situation, frankly.

[ramanth]

Never hired a broker. HUD hires local realty companies to sell the properties. According to HUD the home appraised at $25K and that was what it was sold at. Was the fact that Mike lived next door the reason it was appraised so low? Not sure.

I'm sure having a known offender can lower the price of a home...that I don't doubt. I'm just saying I'm not sure if the government (HUD) cared.

What's done is done. I'm not moving.

[pomtzu]

I'm confused!
You can't use wasp spray for self defense, but you can use a gun??? That doesn't make a whole lot of good sense to me! If someone were to break in my home and threaten to kill me, I would use whatever was at hand to protect myself.

[Twisterdog]

Wow. Scary stuff.

If he only had one sexual charge on his record, I would think maybe there was a chance it wasn't what it seemed. There is a registered sex offender down the block from me. His girlfriend's parents pressed charges when they found out they were having sex, after letting them date for a year. He was 18, she was 16. Incredibly sad and unfair, IMO. But your neighbor doesn't seem to fit that pattern at all.

I'd be very cautious, friendly but not too friendly. Don't want the guy thinking you're buddies and dropping over, but you sure don't want to make him an enemy right off the bat, either.

And, honestly, how many of us have a criminal on our block right now, and don't know it? I'd say almost all of us.

[Lady's Human]

I'm confused!
You can't use wasp spray for self defense, but you can use a gun??? That doesn't make a whole lot of good sense to me! If someone were to break in my home and threaten to kill me, I would use whatever was at hand to protect myself.

Guns (hence bullets) have immediate effects. shoot perp, perp goes to ER, perp might live, might die, but the effects of gunshots are pretty well known and dealt with.

Wasp spray has some nasty chemicals in it. Long term medical effects are a crapshoot.

If someone attacked you in your garage and wasp spray happened to be what you had on hand, I don't think there would be any issues.

Someone attacks you in your kitchen, however, the question could be easily raised about why the wasp spray was in your kitchen.

Mace/pepper spray comes in small spray bottles designed for personal defense. (some of which shoot pretty far). Wasp Spray, however, is normally in a pretty unwieldy can.

[shais_mom]

I'm kind of along the lines of everyone else. No I certainly wouldn't move either!! And at this stage of the game are they really going to cut you a check b/c your property value might be lowered? umm Probably not!
Just keep on your guard, and be cautious. Keep the back door locked that the dogs use, and make sure your dad checks your window locks. Don't underestimate the power of the your dogs either. You know and I know they are uber friendly but HE doesn't know that. And you never know what they will do if you are threatened. I've always said that Keegan would open the door for them and keep it open wagging her tail all the way if it ever came up but now I'm not so sure. She is very protective of her area and home and my parents home. My dad's cousin was walking into their house one day and Dad was right behind him and Keegan met him at the door with her teeth bared and growling and snapping. Until my dad yelled "KEEGAN" and she realized he was with him, then she snapped out of it and started wagging her tail and wiggle butting around. When I was coming home from CA in 2006, my parents shed got broken into, and I think a lot more would have happened, if Keegan wouldn't have been there.
Several years ago when I had Shaianne who wouldn't hurt a fly, I was walking her down the sidewalk. I came upon 3-4 Hispanic men walking down the street. Now, I normally have a bit of anxiety when meeting ANY group of people on the street (middle of the day or whenever, especially men regardless of race) but I just kept walking Shaianne, and those men went single file by me, and kept their heads down and never even looked sideways in my direction. I don't know if its b/c she looked like a doberman, or was just an intimidating dog (she was a big greyhound) or simply b/c in this podunk town, God only knows what would happen if they were "caught", looking at a young woman by any of the local rednecks! Next time you are near your local truck stop, pick up a tire thumper,(similar to this http://www.medropship.com/images/07PETT1.jpg) keep one in your car and/or under your pillow/by your bed. I keep one in my car that's all decked out in the CHIEF REDMAN attire, ready for action. I need to get one for my house b/c God only knows what would happen if I got a gun!

That said, missy, when's the PT meeting gonna be at your house?! That'll scare ANY sexual offender away!