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His girlfriend left him because she saw his picture on the state's sexual offender Web site, a Spring Hill man tells a judge.
By JAMIE JONES, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 6, 2002
BROOKSVILLE -- Daniel Ray Erickson, convicted in 1980 for buying a 5-year-old girl for $230 and sexually abusing her, asked a judge on Thursday to remove his picture from the state's sexual offender Web site.
His justification: It's interfering with his love life.
"How can a guy get married and become a good, stable citizen if they're putting your picture there when it don't belong?" Erickson complained in an interview after the hearing.
He said his girlfriend had found his picture on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's sexual offender Web site, and then left him.
That image and the records shouldn't have been available for her to find, he said.
Erickson told Circuit Judge Jack Springstead that authorities had no right to list him on the state Web site because he was convicted of child molestation in another state before 1993, when Florida enacted a sexual predator act.
He also asked that the judge seal law enforcement records involving his cases.
Erickson of 1291 Waterfall Drive in Spring Hill was convicted of kidnapping and child molestation in 1981 in California, prosecutors said. Erickson, who also goes by the name of John William Dickey, has given authorities two different birthdays, making him either 53 or 64.
According to federal records, Erickson committed a lewd act on a young child in 1976 and was sent to a state hospital as a mentally disoriented sex offender. In 1980, he bought a 5-year-old female from the child's cousin and was sentenced to seven years in a California prison, records show.
In Broward County, Erickson was convicted of fondling an 11-year-old girl while she was swimming and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1987, records show.
Erickson said Thursday that he was wrongfully charged in that case and had simply lifted the girl over a large, menacing wave.
In 1995, Erickson was convicted in federal court of submitting a fraudulent passport application. In 1997, he was convicted of fraud, records show.
In February and July, Erickson was arrested by Hernando County deputies for failing to register as a sex offender. The first case is pending before an appellate court. In the second case, Erickson is scheduled for arraignment on Monday.
He has been featured on the state sexual offender Web site at least since June.
Assistant State Attorney Peter Magrino called Erickson's requests "untenable and fallacious" in light of his multiple convictions for sexual molestation.
An FDLE attorney wrote in court documents that Erickson meets the state's sexual offender requirements. The law says that anyone who lives in Florida and has been designated a sexual offender in another state is required to register. The attorney also noted that Erickson was convicted of another sexual assault in Florida in 1987.
State law says someone can petition to be removed from state supervision if they do not commit a felony or misdemeanor for at least 20 years after serving punishment.
Attorneys said Erickson does not qualify because of his criminal record.
Erickson said authorities discriminate against sex offenders.
"They should do this to burglars," he said. "There are more burglars running around than sex offenders. You want to live next to a burglar?"
Springstead is expected to rule in January.
-- Jamie Jones covers law enforcement and courts in Hernando County and can be reached at 754-6114. Send e-mail to jjones@sptimes.com.