CLOSER LOOK -- Protecting residents from the worst predators

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- Close to 140 convicted sex offenders call this city

home.

And one Santa Ana resident, who was targeted by residents after he

wrote a threatening sexual letter to a young Costa Mesa boy, is now

facing 22 charges of molestation filed against him less than two weeks

ago by the Orange County district attorney in an unrelated case.

High as that number of offenders may seem for a city of Costa Mesa’s

size, police say it is right there with other cities in Orange County

such as Garden Grove that have more or less the same population and

demographics.

Neighboring Newport Beach has only seven sex offenders within its city

limits, though it was home to one of the most notorious in the mid-1990s.

But comparing Costa Mesa with Newport Beach would be “unfair,” said

Costa Mesa Police Det. Larry Torres, who investigates sex crimes.

“It’s just very expensive to live in Newport Beach,” he said. “Their

population is lower and Costa Mesa is an older city.”

The number of motels and transients in the city also could be a

contributor to that high number, Torres said.

The good news for residents, however, is the identity of these

offenders can now be discovered through the click of a computer mouse.

A major breakthrough in sex crimes came with the enactment of Megan’s

Law about five years ago, officials said. This law requires that cities

with a population of more than 200,000 make information about sex

offenders in their city available to residents.

Costa Mesa does not fall under the category. But officials say they

made the decision to make the information available to residents.

What is available to the public is a computer database provided by the

California Department of Justice, where anybody can type in a zip code

and come up with a list of sex offenders who live in that area.

People can also type a name -- maybe of a suspected neighbor -- and

find out if he or she is listed in the database. Most listings come with

photographs of the offenders, information about their physical

characteristics and prior offenses.

What it does not provide is the address of the offender because of

legal issues.

The database categorizes offenders into “high risk,” “serious” and

“others.” High risk offenders are usually those who are either repeat

offenders or who have committed a violent crime, said Det. Sgt. Jack

Archer.

“Serious offenders are usually one-time offenders,” Archer explained.

“The third category includes a variety of offenders.”

Who goes into what category is determined by the Department of

Justice, he said.

The database, updated by the Department of Justice every month, is a

great resource for the public, Torres said.

“Many of our victims are families who are very trusting,” he said.

“People don’t realize that a majority of molesters are not strangers.

They’re either a family friend, a relative, a teacher or a coach.”

Many residents get put off by the fact that the database does not

specify the street address, Torres said.

But he said he has seen people go over the list name by name and try

to connect faces with people they know.

“I don’t know of anybody who has actually found a sex offender in our

city that way,” Torres said. “But it’s a useful tool and is often

reassuring to concerned parents.”

Last year, eighteen people looked at the database, he said.

He said police departments also try to ensure sex offenders register

in the cities they live in. Transients are required to register every 90

days and others are required to register five days after they move into a

new location. They can be arrested if they fail to register.

Offenders who live and work in different cities must register in both

cities and those who live in a different city but go to school in Costa

Mesa must also register in both cities.

If, for instance, an offender who lives in Santa Ana and is driving

through Costa Mesa gets stopped by an officer for running a red light,

that officer lets Santa Ana police know the offender was in the area.

That is helpful to investigators when they are puzzled by incidents

happening around a school, for example, that they cannot attribute to a

local offender, Torres said.

The Costa Mesa Police Department sends out fliers to neighborhoods as

soon as they hear a high risk offender has moved in, Archer said.

Since the passing of Megan’s Law, the department has passed out fliers

four times, and every time it resulted in the offender moving out of the

city, he said.

One of them, Chris Decker, a convicted rapist, sued the city for $1

million in 1999 and lost after Costa Mesa police circulated fliers with

his photo. The fliers led to Decker’s eviction from his apartment

complex.

One of the most high-profile Megan Law evictions came in Newport

Beach. James Lee Crummel was arrested on outstanding charges in 1997

after residents staged several protests outside his Newport condominium.

Crummel, whose roommate Dr. Burnell Forgey was also later arrested and

convicted of sexual abuse charges with a minor, is awaiting trial in San

Bernardino in connection with the 1979 abduction and murder of

13-year-old Costa Mesa resident Jamie Trotter, whose bones were found by

Crummel off Ortega Highway.

More recently in November 2000, Grayling Lang Mitchell, another man

labeled as a high risk offender by police, moved out of Newport Senior

Village after neighbors protested in front of his apartment complex.

Costa Mesa resident Lynn Vogt even attempted to get the state to pass

a legislation that would allow child molesters to be placed on lifetime

parole.

Vogt was spurred into action after Cary Smith wrote a lurid letter

fantasizing about raping and killing her 7-year-old son. The Orange

County district attorney, last week, charged Smith on 22 counts of child

molestation relating to a different victim.

Vogt said trying to get legislation passed and failing in that attempt

was a frustrating experience.

“The problem is our state government is very liberal,” she said. “And

when it comes to a law like this, they don’t want to place restrictions

on the offenders. They’re concerned about [the offenders’] civil rights.”

Vogt said the database made public with the passing of Megan’s Law can

be a great tool for parents.

“I haven’t used it myself only because it is not very convenient,” she

said. “There are other states where the information is available on the

Internet.”

Community support plays a significant role in protecting local

neighborhoods against offenders, Vogt said.

“After what happened to my family, if not for the great support we got

from the community and the PTAs, we would have moved out of the city,”

she said.

FYI

To look at the database at the Costa Mesa Police Department, residents

may call the front desk at (714) 754-5281 to schedule an appointment. The

State Department of Justice also operates an information line on the

subject that can be accessed by calling (900) 448-3000, which is a toll

number.