Sex offenders could face residence restrictions

New ordinance would affect those involved in crimes against minors.

Shortly after taking office this year, Hutto Police Chief Byron Frankland noticed the city had no restrictions on where registered sex offenders could live. That’s about to change.

The Hutto City Council gave its initial approval this month to a new ordinance Frankland proposed forbidding sex offenders involved in crimes against minors to live within 1,000 feet of areas where children gather, including schools, playgrounds and city parks.

The fine for violating the ordinance would be $500 per day. There also would be a $500-perday fine for landlords who rent to registered sex offenders within the prohibited areas.

Frankland, a former assistant police chief in Galveston who began working in Hutto on April 17, said he was surprised to learn the city had no such restrictions. He said he worked with a lawyer for the city to come up with the proposal that just includes the safety zones.

“We put together what we felt was the best ordinance we could possibly get without being too restrictive,” he said.

The council will take a final vote on the issue Thursday.

If approved, it would become effective June 25 after it is posted for the second time in the Taylor Daily Press newspaper, said Eliska Smith, a spokeswoman for Hutto.

Hutto has 18 registered sex offenders who have committed crimes against children, Frankland said. Only two of them live within the areas that will be prohibited when the ordinance passes, and the new ordinance won’t apply to them, he said.

Sex offenders often prey on children in areas where kids like to gather, such as playgrounds, Frankland said. They first start talking to the children and then suggest activities, including playing catch, he said. “They try to get them alone and away from the area,” Frankland said.

Other cities in the area have ordinances about where registered sex offenders may live, including Round Rock, Pflugerville and Georgetown, Frankland said.