mercurynews.com(Calif): Sex offender Web site didn't help in Calif. rapes.
San Diego—Authorities say the sex offender charged with killing a San Diego teen initially eluded suspicion in her disappearance because he was registered on California's sex crimes database as living in a neighboring county.
Investigators in Riverside County say convicted child molester John Albert Gardner III similarly wasn't a suspect in last year's disappearance of a 14-year-old girl and an attack on another teen. That's because at the time Gardner was registered in San Diego County.
Officials said Thursday the discrepancies show how Gardner could apparently comply with California's offender registry law and still avoid suspicion. Gardner has pleaded not guilty to murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King.
We have said this many times, whenever one of these horrific crimes occurs. Online sex offender registries and residency restrictions do nothing to prevent crime. Think about it. Banning a sex offender from living near a school or park does not prevent him from traveling to that park or school. And posting a sex offender's photo online does not prevent him from committing a crime !
