Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Pictures of sex offenders may air on TV despite pleas

The broadcast includes a man who was jailed for having sex with teenage girlfriends when he was 19 and 20. His family and other Treasure Island residents have objected to the broadcast.

By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published May 22, 2005

TREASURE ISLAND - Pictures of sex offenders probably will be back on television this week.

City commissioners are poised Tuesday to approve regular broadcasts of the names and photos of three convicted sex offenders living in Treasure Island, despite pleas from the family and friends of one felon who was charged after having consensual sex with a teenage girlfriend.

"I think it's a small price to pay to make sure our loved ones are safe," said Commissioner Phil Collins, who has spearheaded the campaign to televise the sex offender information. "I think people need to know who is living next to them if they pose a threat to their children or their family."

Commissioner Alan Bildz of Sunset Beach disagrees with the policy of broadcasting the offenders on the city's cable television station, Channel 15. His constituents include the parents and neighbors of Tyler Smith, a 27-year-old who served time in jail after having sex with teenage girlfriends when he was 19 and 20.

Bildz said he heard from 43 residents and all but three were opposed to the broadcasts.

"We're talking about a bunch of teenagers," said Bildz of the Smith case. "All of us have skeletons in our closet."

Several residents also spoke in Smith's defense last week.

"I think everybody agrees with the people who say you want to protect the children," said Sunset Beach resident Max Linn. "But shouldn't we hold out some compassion for the family?"

Another neighbor, Gwenda Barnitz, said she thinks the city's cable television station should broadcast happy news.

"We shouldn't put out the message - Welcome to Treasure Island - Home of Sex Offenders," she said.

Commissioner Richard Kraus said his constituents have been equally divided about the broadcasts. But he blamed the opposition on incorrect information provided by Smith's neighbors and the Times.

Commissioner Ed Gayton made the same challenge, reading a litany of Smith's criminal record and those of other sexual offenders which he said came from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site.

Smith served jail time for more than one charge, stemming from the consensual sex he had with minors. The Times' request for the documents from his case will not be available until next week.

The names and photos of sex offenders were broadcast on TITV for a few weeks last month. The photos were televised for about 15 seconds each, several times throughout the day and night.

On Tuesday, commissioners likely will decide to increase that television exposure. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at City Hall, 120 108th Ave.

"People have commented that we are portraying ourselves as something of a hotbed of sex offenders and creating hysteria in the community," said Kraus. "I don't think that's the case. I think it would portray us as a forward-thinking, progressive community that is concerned for the safety of our residents and our guests and particularly in this case, children."

Police Chief Joseph Pelkington said last week that he notifies neighbors of sex offenders and sexual predators when they move into Treasure Island.

"We all agree that child molesters are very, very dangerous people who need to be locked up," said Smith's father, Dane. But he doesn't think his son and others convicted of consensual sex should be lumped by the state into the same offender category. He said he is lobbying the state to change the law.

Collins said he has compassion for the family, but he said the sex offenders "embarrassed their family when they chose to do this."

A few residents,including a tourist who read news reports of the proposed broadcasts, spoke last week in support of Collins. One resident, Sami Scott, presented two petitions with a total of 180 signatures from residents who want the television broadcasts."Parents are working very hard to protect their children," Scott said. "We want sex offenders to know that we are watching them."

[Last modified May 22, 2005, 01:07:21]