Mission Viejo is the newest City in Orange County to ban sex offenders from city parks, open space areas and community recreation centers, as well as soccer fields. Still at issue are the liability, enforceability and constitutionality of the ban.
The ban would make it a misdemeanor for sex offenders to be in certain areas of the city without written permission from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which handles services for Mission Viejo. A violation could mean up to six months in jail and/or a fine up to $500.00.
The City of Fullerton has previously passed a law making violators of Jessica’s Law, subject to a fine of to $1,000.00 and six months in jail. In addition to Mission Viejo, the ban has been approved in Irvine, La Habra, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach, Westminster and Yorba Linda. Irvine has narrowed their law to sex offenders who have targeted minors.
In California, anyone who has been convicted of a sex crime is required to register as a sex offender for as long as they live in California, attend school in California or are working in California.
Anyone who has been accused of a sex crime should seek the immediate advice and assistance of an experienced criminal defense attorney whose practice is strictly limited to criminal defense and focuses on sex crimes. An experienced attorney in this field will know the most effective defenses and be better able to present the types of arguments that can influence the prosecutors to limit the charges to those that do not subject a person to sex offender registration.
If you would like to know more about registering as a sex offender or sex crimes in general, contact Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney William M. Weinberg at his Irvine, California office at 949-474-8008 or at williamweinberg.com.