Sex Offender Halloween Sweep in L.A. Turns up Trap Door Leading to Basement With Chair-And-Rope Set-up (Really)

By Dennis Romero Tue., Nov. 29 2011 at 4:08 PM

NBC / Hulu

SNL's 'The Creep.'

We thought the Halloween limits on ex-cons who had once committed sex offenses were pretty draconian: No decorations, no opening your door for trick-or-treaters, and, for some, a roundup that had them staying at parole centers during trick-or-treat hours.

The group called California Reform Sex Offender Laws goes so far as to say the limits are unconstitutional. After all, these people did their time already.

Well, this might change our mind:

L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich reported this week that sex-offender inspections by the county probation department during Halloween and the days leading up to the quasi-holiday netted some allegedly spooky characters, including, according to Antonovich's office:

- ... A probationer who had a trap door in his bedroom leading to a basement where officers found a chair and rope ...

Jeez. It puts the lotion on its skin, huh?

And ...

... A married couple, both on probation for molesting their own children, who had their home fully decorated for Halloween, and were in possession of drugs and child pornography.

Frightening.

The Los Angeles Times says five probationers in all were arrested.

Sex offenders on probation and parole are supposed to have their porch lights off and blinds and curtains closed. No Halloween decorations are allowed.

The four-day sweep was called "Operation Safe Halloween." They should have just called it Fright Night.

Shivers.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com/@LAWeeklyNews]

Tags:

Board of Supervisors, Halloween, Mike Antonovich, parole, probation, sex offender, sex offender sweep

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Anon

For anyone who agrees with this "fright night" characterization, you should note the critical omissions in this sensationalistic bunch of journalistic nonsense.

First of all, the searches were conducted in "the days leading up to the quasi-holiday" which could mean anything from the day before to several weeks. The author gives no further information. As for Antonovich hysterically claiming that they found a "trap door" and that in "a basement ... officers found a chair and rope," it was NOT said that they found the two objects in any kind of nefarious arrangement. Nor did they say that the "trap door" was anything other than the normal way to get to the "basement." Nor did they say that the person was arrested or charged with a violation of probation. I'm pretty sure that they would have trumpeted this kind of arrest to the highest mountains but, oh yeah, there was no arrest. Oops. Don't worry, can't let facts and reality get in the way of a good horror story for the ignorant public.

Chairs and rope are both things that many Average Joes have in their basement. Go look in yours. Is there a chair? Is there a clothesline? How about a piece of twine. Maybe an extension cord that's a bit frayed? Are they completely separate and innocuous? Well guess what: If you were labeled a "sex offender" you're a monster prowling for all the children of the world, ready to tie them to a chair for your evil selfish sexual proclivities. You say that you just use your basement as a storage area? Oh well. Can't let reality get in the way of a good horror story.

Wake up people. Our kids are more likely to be killed crossing the street on Halloween than they are to be abducted and molested. Halloween would be a pretty stupid day to do it. I mean come on, it's a day when everyone is on "high alert" for this type of behavior.

Also, a couple who were convicted of molesting their own kids having drugs and child pornography has nothing to do with Halloween, even if the search was conducted on or "in the days leading up to" Halloween. The fact that they conducted their search on a specific day is meaningless as far as cause goes. The police and probation offices time these "sweeps" just so that they can create this kind of sensationalistic "we need unlimited power and more money; yes of course it's all to save the children" garbage. I fully support harsh sentences for people who hurt kids, but not every person labeled a sex offender is a monster out after kids that should be banished from celebrating the holidays. Many of them have children and families themselves, by the way--whether you like it or not. Our kids are not in any greater danger on Halloween of being sexually molested than on any other day of the year.

The aberrations are not the norm, and we shouldn't be basing our public policy determinations on the few aberrant wackos of the world. If you think that we should, then you should be okay with being arrested and cavity searched if you get pulled over for speeding because some speeders have coke and heroin shoved up their butts.

And to the author of this article: You should be ashamed of yourself. People who distort and omit the facts to gain audience attention disgrace the entire field of journalism.