By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

 

Chilton County is home to 154 registered sex offenders.

“Usually we hover around 154 since I’ve been in office,” Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon said.

Shearon emphasized that this number only pertains to offenders who actually registered in the county, as the law requires. Twice as many, Shearon suggested, may be living in the county unregistered or unreported.

“We prosecute a lot of cases, but what we do prosecute, it could be that many more that go unprosecuted because nobody ever comes forward with it,” Shearon said.

Shearon said victims don’t always report the crime for a variety of reasons. For examples, some victims are fearful of vengeance from their attackers or fearful of betraying, in some cases, an attacker who may be a family member. Other victims feel unworthy of rescue.

“But every life is valuable,” Shearon said.

Investigator Derrick Bone of the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office said that while the majority of registered sex offenders are adults, about [number] are juvenile offenders.

About 129 adult offenders are featured on the CCSO website, where site visitors can view offenders’ pictures, addresses, offenses and sometimes physical descriptions.

The site warns that addresses may or may not be accurate, depending on the honesty of the offenders.

Shearon said CCSO does what it can to ensure the safety and security of Chilton residents against such crimes.

Shearon and Bone drop by offenders’ homes for surprise check-ins, which sometimes result in arrests and illegal drug discoveries.

Bone urges Chilton residents to visit ChiltonCountySO.com/sex_offenders.php to familiarize themselves with offenders’ names and faces, particularly offenders living near their homes.

“Because I can promise there’s a sex offender living within five miles of everybody in this county,” Bone said.

The sheriff’s office should be notified of any suspicious activities by these individuals, such as lingering near playgrounds, ballparks and schools “for no reason”.