Merlin
07-06-2006, 12:52 PM
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst ... rse06.html (http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-nurse06.html)
A convicted sex offender living at a North Side nursing home was arrested Wednesday after authorities discovered he allegedly violated state registration laws by reporting that he was homeless.
Tyrone Barber, 56, was living at Arbour Health Care Center at 1512 W. Fargo, said Cara Smith, policy director for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Earlier this year, police sent Barber a 30-day notice that he had to leave the nursing home because he was living within 500 feet of a school in violation of the Sex Offender Registration Act, Smith said.
Instead of moving, though, he told police in April that he was homeless. His photo, age, height, weight and the nature of his crime remained on the State Police sex offender registry -- but the nursing home's address was removed.
Skirting registration law
The state started allowing sex offenders to register as homeless on Jan. 1. They must re-register every week.
Acting on an inquiry by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Illinois attorney general's office last week started checking the 70 sex offenders listed as homeless on the State Police registry.
Most of those sex offenders appeared to be truly homeless, Smith said.
But a few, like Barber, appeared to be using their homeless status to avoid having their permanent addresses listed on the registry. They are defeating the central purpose of the registry, which is to allow neighbors to know if a sex offender is living nearby, officials say.
Barber -- convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a victim under 18 -- was at Chicago Police headquarters attempting to re-register as being homeless when he was nabbed Wednesday.
'We're looking at this even closer'
Also Wednesday, Chicago Police arrested Leonard Winton, 40, for registering as homeless when he was really living at 352 S. Hamlin, Smith said.
He registered as homeless after police sent him notice that he needed to move because he lived 500 feet from a school, Smith said. Winton was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a minor under 13.
"Needless to say, we're looking at this even closer now," she said of sex offenders registering as homeless.
Arbour Health Care Center did not return a call seeking comment.
A convicted sex offender living at a North Side nursing home was arrested Wednesday after authorities discovered he allegedly violated state registration laws by reporting that he was homeless.
Tyrone Barber, 56, was living at Arbour Health Care Center at 1512 W. Fargo, said Cara Smith, policy director for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Earlier this year, police sent Barber a 30-day notice that he had to leave the nursing home because he was living within 500 feet of a school in violation of the Sex Offender Registration Act, Smith said.
Instead of moving, though, he told police in April that he was homeless. His photo, age, height, weight and the nature of his crime remained on the State Police sex offender registry -- but the nursing home's address was removed.
Skirting registration law
The state started allowing sex offenders to register as homeless on Jan. 1. They must re-register every week.
Acting on an inquiry by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Illinois attorney general's office last week started checking the 70 sex offenders listed as homeless on the State Police registry.
Most of those sex offenders appeared to be truly homeless, Smith said.
But a few, like Barber, appeared to be using their homeless status to avoid having their permanent addresses listed on the registry. They are defeating the central purpose of the registry, which is to allow neighbors to know if a sex offender is living nearby, officials say.
Barber -- convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a victim under 18 -- was at Chicago Police headquarters attempting to re-register as being homeless when he was nabbed Wednesday.
'We're looking at this even closer'
Also Wednesday, Chicago Police arrested Leonard Winton, 40, for registering as homeless when he was really living at 352 S. Hamlin, Smith said.
He registered as homeless after police sent him notice that he needed to move because he lived 500 feet from a school, Smith said. Winton was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a minor under 13.
"Needless to say, we're looking at this even closer now," she said of sex offenders registering as homeless.
Arbour Health Care Center did not return a call seeking comment.