THE TARGET 12
(HE)
THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS UNCOVER
WHAT SOME CLAIM IS A
GLITCH IN THE SEX
OFFENDER REGISTRY...
THAT COULD LEAVE YOU
WITH "NO NOTICE."
(MM)
OUR UNDERCOVER
CAMERA RECORDED---
SEX OFFENDERS--- NOT
ONLY LIVING IN CERTAIN
LOCAL MOTELS... BUT
ALSO WORKING THERE.
WE VERIFIED STATE LAW
REQUIRES POLICE TO
NOTIFY RESIDENTS----
WHEN SEX OFFENDERS
MOVE INTO THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD.
(HE)
BUT ACCORDING TO THE
PAROLE BOARD -- A MOTEL
OWNER DOES NOT HAVE
TO TELL A FAMILY THAT A
SEX OFFENDER LIVES AT
THE MOTEL.
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
WALT BUTEAU... WITH THE
DETAILS YOU'LL SEE ONLY
ON EYEWITNESS NEWS.
TARGET 12 FOUND OUT THERE
A HALF DOZEN SEX
OFFENDERS LIVING IN 3
DIFFERENT RHODE ISLAND
MOTELS.. . .
AND IT APPEARS TWO OF THE
BUSINESSES MAY EMPLOY
THEM.
This is 47 year old Paul
Stieber,
recorded on Target 12 undercover
video...walking the grounds of
the
Sand Dollar Inn with cleaning
supplies.
According to the parole board's
community notification website.
.
.Stieber is a level 2 sex
offender -
"which means he is at a moderate
risk to re-offend". Steiber's
victims
were a four year old girl and a
four
year old boy.
His registered address. . .the
Sand
Dollar Inn in Westerly.
The state's website also
indicates
level 2 sex offender Daniel
Leighty
lives at that same address, next
door to Stieber.
This woman walked from the
office
to our vehicle as we were trying
to
verify that Stieber lived here.
She did not tell us who she was
and did not say if Steiber had
access to all the rooms to clean
them.
And even though we recorded him
going in and out of the office
with
cleaning supplies...and also
into
what appeared to be a laundry
area,
she said he does not work there.
She aknowleged that Steiber and
Leighty lived here.
---------------
If you were staying here with
your
children, would you want to know
if
a level two sex offender was
staying
here. Of course. Yeah we do. (
Does the person from Georgia or
the person from Jersey know? Are
you done with your questions.
---------------
Do you tell your other tenants
that
he's a level two sex offender?
-----------------
The Executive Director of
Alliance
for Safe Communities wondered if
motel residents were aware of
their
temporary neighbors' criminal
histories..
----------------
That's shocking information Walt
that you're giving me. Most
likely
those residents have no idea
what
his background is.
-----------------
They would have to know we have
a
registry and be looking to
narrow
down the address of exactly
where
they are.
------------------
This is one of three motels in
the
state where sex offenders live
according to the notification
website.
According to the site, The
Wickford
Motor Inn is home to Roger
Greene.
----------------
Are you Roger Greene?
--------------
He told us he works as a
handyman
here...in exchange for not
paying
rent.
Green is a level 3 sex
offender---considered a high
risk
to re-offend. He was convicted
of
1st and 2nd degree molestation
of a
10 year old girl and
acknowledged
his temporary neighbors probably
don't know he's a sex offender.
------------
Do you understand that they
should
know your past? Like I said. I'm
no
threat to anybody.
--------------
I did not committ the crime.
You say you didn't do the crime.
This says you are at a high risk
to
reoffend.
------------
The owner of the Wickford Motor
Inn told us over the phone he
may
have to reconsider allowing
Greene
to live here.
The sex offender notification
website states a level 2 sex
offender
lives at the Rumford Motor Inn
in
East Providence.
And up until late August---a
level 3
sex offender lived there as
well, but
he was arrested as a Probation
Violator.
The East Providence motel has
not
responded to our request for
comment.
State Senator Frank Lombardi
sponsored a bill related to sex
offenders living in homeless
shelters.
He tells Target 12 --- in his
opinion, there's little doubt
who
should notify motel customers if
sex offenders are living there.
-----------------
Hotel management. It's not a big
burden. There's always a cost
benefit analysis. and I think
the
benefits far outweight the costs
in
this one.
---------------
In a statement, Parole Board
Chairperson Laura Pisaturo told
us the law does restict
registered
sex offenders from living within
300 feet of schools and working
at businesses that are
frequented
by children...
But Pisaturo said
The law does not put this
responsibility [of notifying the
public about sex offenders] on
private citizens. So motel or
other
home owners are not responsible.
At six, we'll take a look at how
you
can potentially check whether a
registered sex offender is
living near
you . . .
With the Target 12
Investigators. .
.Walt Buteau...EWN.
EXCLUSIVE -- NO NOTICE.
WE EXPOSE WHAT SOME
CALL - A HOLE - IN THE SEX
OFFENDER REGISTRY
SYSTEM..
(M)
WE DISCOVERED A HALF
DOZEN SEX OFFENDERS
ARE LIVING IN THREE
DIFFERENT LOCAL
MOTELS.
AND IT APPEARS IN TWO
OF THOSE BUSINESSES----
THE SEX OFFENDERS ARE
WORKING THERE TOO.
(HE)
BUT, WE'VE LEARNED THE
MOTEL OWNER IS NOT
REQUIRED TO TELL
CUSTOMERS ABOUT THEIR
TEMPORARY NEIGHBORS.
(M)
UNLESS THE STATE LAW
IS CHANGED --- IT WOULD
BE UP TO MOTEL
CUSTOMERS TO UNCOVER
FOR THEMSELVES--- IF SEX
OFFENDERS ARE LIVING
THERE.
WE WANTED TO SHOW
YOU--- HOW TO DO THAT.
(HE)
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
WALT BUTEAU...WITH THE
DETAILS YOU'LL SEE ONLY
ON EYEWITNESS NEWS.
It's probably not the first
thing you
think about when you go on
vacation.
But there is a way to check for
sex
offenders, no matter where you
go.
Our undercover cameras recorded
Roger Green working at the
Wickford Motor Inn in North
Kingstown.
Green is a level 3 sex offender,
who's considered a high risk to
re-
offend. He told us he lives here
and
is a handyman and that his
temporary neighbors probably do
not know he's a sex offender. .
Another hour South in Westerly,
47 year old Paul Stieber was
walking the grounds of the Sand
Dollar Inn with cleaning
supplies.
The owner denied that Steiber
worked here, and wouldn't answer
this question.
---------------
Do you tell your other tenants
that
he's a level two sex offender?
According to the Parole Board,
the
law does not require anyone but
police to notify the public
about sex
offenders.
Those residents have no idea....
The Executive Director of
Alliance
for Safe Communities tells
Target 12
while the law does not require
motel
business owners to notify anyone
about sex offenders. . .
It doesn't make it morally and
ethically right and i don't
think
Rhode Islanders are going to be
happy knowing that that is
what's
happening.
Sex offender websites vary from
state to state....but the F
----- B
------ I has a page on its
website that
will connect you to every
state's sex
offender registry
.
Clicking on Rhode Island brings
you
here.
You are required to agree that
you
won't use the information....to
threaten, intimidate or harass
any
registered offender.
One more click and you can
search
by the community of zip code of
your motel.
Then, you would have to click on
every offender's name in that
area...check the address on
their
page...and cross reference it
with
your motel's address.
State Senator Frank
Lombardi---who sponsored a bill
related to notification
requirements
for sex offenders living in
homeless
shelters. ..tells us it should
not be up
to be up to the motel customer
to
uncover whether or not a sex
offender is living near them. .
If it's a family going in there
and
staying in this hotel with a
registered
sex offender.
staying in this hotel with a
registered
sex offender.
Hotel management. Hotel
management. It's not a big
burden. Ho
Hotel management. Hotel
management. It's not a big
burden.
Right now there are no proposed
laws that would change the
notification system as it
applies to
motels.
The links we showed you in this
report are on line right now at
wpri.com.
With the Target 12
Investigators...Walt
Buteau...EWN.