James Rodney Hampton: Dancing Sex Offender

James Rodney Hampton--Convicted Child Rapist

Modified from an original by Jim Hannon

James Rodney Hampton, now 51, raped two members of his family and was sentenced to 15 years in prison on October 6, 1994. By September 1997, Hampton had made parole for his crimes against the eight and 10 year old girls and returned to the Shoals area that October.

Hampton has lived mainly in Lauderdale County, but worked wherever he could find employment. He has frequently toiled as a cook, recently at the Waffle House on Hwy. 43 in Colbert County. By 2009, he had completed his sentence and was in most ways a free man. At that time, or perhaps even before, Hampton began to participate as an "Indian" dancer in powwow re-enactments across the valley, educational entertainment held mainly in public parks.

Yes, we said Hampton was mainly free; he is still required by law to register as a sex offender and to adhere to the guidelines the State of Alabama has set up for such felons. These guidelines call for sex offenders to steer clear of public parks where children may be found. Last weekend, James Rodney Hampton participated in his usual role as an Indian dancer at Trail of Tears festivities at Waterloo Park.

Whether Hampton knew he would be photographed by Jim Hannon of the TimesDaily as he rode into a public park in the small western Lauderdale town of Waterloo--a photograph that made both the pages of the local paper and its online gallery--is unknown. An alert reader noticed Hampton and reported him to a local police chief, then contacted us here. We understand others have reported Hampton to the state's sex offender website. You may do the same at the bottom of this linked page:

James Rodney Hampton

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Lauderdale County has thrown down the gauntlet: There will be no new RegionalCare hospital in Colbert County. It's Joe Roach's next move. We're sure he didn't get where he is by being either nice or stupid. We earlier said popcorn was in order. Let's add some Walnettos and watch the show. Just how free the show is depends on Roach's next move....



Shoalanda