All First Degree Rapists Must Register/Ronnie May

There seems to be confusion in some Shoals cyber circles about who has to register as a sexual offender in some states. Rest assured, anyone convicted of First Degree Rape has to register in any of the 50 states. A convicted First Degree Rapist recently made this statement: If I went to Florida or Tennessee, I wouldn't even have to register, but I returned to Alabama because of my family.

Is there any truth in the above statement? No. Let's look at Florida. A supporter of the convicted rapist has used the following to back up his claims: Florida State Statute Section 943.04354 describes how people who committed their offenses before July 1, 2007 can also avoid having to register as a sexual offender or predator. (prior to Megan's Law)

The law states that all must register, but some convicted of sex crimes may be removed from the state registry if the offender petitions. The above law refers to statutory crimes and crimes that did not involve penetration. In other words, First Degree Rapists are never absolved of the need to register...at least for 20 years. After this length of time--calculated from the time sentence is served--the offender may petition the court. That in no way affects someone who has just been released from prison, and we have no idea how many are successful in being removed after the required 20 years, especially if a weapon was used.

Looking at Tennessee, we have asked permission from The Connection and Jeff Jones to use his article word for word:

A convicted rapist living in Florence has been interviewed in a local blog. He is quoted as saying: Because other states have a three-tiered assessment that classifies offenders in categories, such as child molesters, predators, serial rapists, sex offenders. In Alabama, all categories are lumped together and minor sex offenders have the same responsibilities as more heinous crimes, such as child molesters. If I went to Florida or Tennessee, I wouldn't even have to register, but I returned to Alabama. Is his statement true? We'll look at Tennessee first.  Tennessee does a two tier system: Sex Offenders and Violent Sex Offenders. In some instances, a conviction for sexual crimes other than rape may be "forgiven" after ten years. They are never immediately forgiven. They are never forgiven for First Degree Rape. They are certainly never forgiven for Violent Rape, which would include any crime in which a knife was used to coerce the victim. For more information about who may be exempted from the Tennessee registry, you may wish to visit: Am I Eligible for Removal from the Sex Offender Registry?

Have we looked extensively at all 50 states? No. We have checked on just the two specifically mentioned by the convicted rapist; however, a quick Google search turns up no states which do not require First Degree Rapists to register.

A word of advice to those who date registered sex offenders: If he came home with lipstick on his collar, wouldn't you "check it out?" If he comes up with tales as to why he has been railroaded and treated differently, we advise you to do the same. Divorces are expensive.

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Like the mug shots in The Quad-Cities Daily? Apparently you won't be seeing many from the Colbert County Sheriff's office. From TQCD:

Sorry, but Ronnie May, Colbert County Sheriff, is the only law enforcement agency in Northwest Alabama to charge prohibitively high rates for public records. Therefore The Quad-Cities Daily does not have them available.

 Shoalanda