Wrong Place Vandalized, Torched; Meant For Registered Sex Offender
Illinois: Evansville authorities believe a house that suffered vandalism early Friday morning was meant for a nearby residence occupied by a registered sex offender. In spray paint on the garage door was "GET OUT PERV" and fire was set to a trailer.
Robert "Andy" Gillespie was the likely target, a man who last month was arrested for child solicitation when he drove to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl he was chatting and sending pictures to online but turned out to be an undercover cop.
The cargo trailer sitting in the victim's driveway contained equipment for cleaning carpet and was a total loss, roughly $30,000. The owner was able push it with his pickup truck to a safe distance from the home before it had a chance to spread.
and people want sex offenders listed? great idea. How about let the police do their jobs. Campaign for tougher laws, sure, keep an eye on your kids at all times, sure.
Try to become a 'hero' like the person in this story thought they were, you a waste of air no better that the offender.
I am getting sick of people targeting innocent people in this pedo hysteria. The perp in this case should be force to pay back ever cent and do 5 years jail imho, but most people will shrug it off and say "oh well he tried to get at a pedo, so its all ok". One thing though at least this guy was not bashed or killed like many other innocent parties have been.
"Or we could be provided with better information so the wrong person is never targetted again."
It's ok as long as the right person is targetted? It's ok to burn their stuff and vandalize their home as long as they have committed a crime? Let me know the next time you are caught speeding, we'll make a party of it.
People get angry and emotional when harm is done to children, nuns, mom and dad, grandparents. In some cases, blind rage. They see the law as ineffective, which it frequently is, and decide to do something about it.
If your child was sexually assaulted and killed, what would be your first thought?
I agree with people feeling the anger, but I disagree with giving them the abilty to carry out mob behaviour.
I am definetly not saying you are AE, but say you were a sex offender and your address was published. You knew what was coming your way, wouldnt you go to ground so to speak? Move without updating your info on the list, fall off the police radar?
Seriously its much better to let the police know where they are, and know their movements rather than some bullshite protection by supposedly knowing where offenders are. You also know that over 95% (odd) of child sexual assult is commited by a family member or close friend of the family? You have much much more reason to suspect your family\your friends\childs teacher than some guy from the internet.
Be smart not hysterical, teach your children about stranger danger, safe touch bad touch etc. Also believe them when they tell you something didnt feel right about situations. These are sadly not taught by most parents now, who leave it up to schools and TV to raise their kids. TV is about as good a parent as a ticking bomb.
Actually arson is considered a sex offense by psychologists. Most arsonists like to watch from some nearby location and masturbate to the flames.
The asshole that set this fire is a much greater danger to the neighborhood than any SO. I find it sad that we need to go find scapegoats to blame for our own failings. Deal with your own problems, sex offenders obviously have enough of their own problems already.
Ssxxxsssss is right on, “You have much much more reason to suspect your family\your friends\child’s teacher than some guy from the internet.” Strangers are the least of your worries. There have been too many murdered, innocent and offender alike, too many homes burned, too many people assaulted, this needs to stop. This list is only encouraging vigilante behavior. It needs to be eliminated. The list is quite obviously a civil rights violation in the US and it is spreading to other crimes. Several states now require drug offenders to register and California is about to make lists for other crimes. It was only a matter of time, once precedence is set the politicians run amuck trying to get their name attached to any law that might get them re-elected. The courts need to step up and defend the Constitution. How soon before YOU end up on a list?
This sort of crime always confused me. If said sex offender attempted to chat up a 14 year old girl and met her... only to find out that the 14 year old girl wasn't really 14... but a much older undercover cop... is that really against the law? In all reality, he didn't send sexual pictures to a 14 year old. He sent them to an adult.
I'm not saying I disagree with the law, it's just a bit confusing. If you steal something you believe to be worth 15,000 dollars and it turns out to be trash... do you get charged for grand theft?
At a guess I'd say yes, generaly your tried for what you wished to do rather than what you did, IE killing someone can be murder, or it could be manslaughter, sort of.
As far as he was concerned, he was soliciting sex from a 14 year old girl. That it was a cop, doesnt matter in my book.
I still always thought it was a little weird. How can they prove he thought she was a real 14 year old... and not an older woman or man role playing? I mean... the internet is the internet? It just seems that in these cases there would be so many outs for the perpetrator, but I'm not exactly a law expert.
I mean theres a BIG BIG difference between a man who was caught in one of the stings but to be treated in away that a child rapist is treated is wrong.NORMAL citizens should be ashamed of themselves.
I agree, it is not really the same also in these stings what i find a bit dodgy is that the cop plans and is actively trying to get older men to proposition them. something one assumes a 14 year old is not doing. which then makes it a crime of opportunity because they may have only spoken and may have kept it non-sexual had the cop not responded in a manner to escalate the encounter along sexual lines.
Of course that assumes the whole innocent until proven guilty thing and the idea that police are not meant to use entrapment. which seems to not apply to sex offenders.
... those lists-- they remind me of some other lists they had during the regime of someone else in another country, in another continent, in an earlier century... not good.
The sex offenders list is a good idea, but should only be available to police, that way law enforcement can still keep an eye on these people. That way if knowledge of offenders becames public, it can be traced to the police officer that squealed & appropriate action taken against that officer.(HARSHLY)
It seems this mob mentality occurs when the information is made available to the general public.
The whole list thing needs to be reviewed. A friends 16 year old son, got a 15 year old girl pregnant, so police put the 16 year old on the list despite him being a child, & actually less than 1 years old than the girl.
Ever heard the saying, intent is 9/10th of the law? They prove intent in cases like this guy's by not ever initiating the chat; police have to wait to be approached.
Actually, I've never heard that. I've heard posession is 9/10ths of the law, but it was never phrased with "intent". But, I suppose you're probably correct!
