Sex offenders sue cops over yard signs
Registered sex offenders are suing a Georgia sheriff’s office for placing “no trick-or-treat” signs in their front yards.
The suit argues that the signs “violate private citizens’ constitutional rights,” mainly the right to free speech.
Butts County Sheriff Gary Long put the signs up last year for Halloween to “ensure the safety of our children,” according to the sheriff’s office. The sex offenders filed the lawsuit in anticipation he’ll do it again this year.
Fifty-six unincarcerated registered sex offenders reside in Butts County, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s sex offender registry.
Mark Yurachek, the sex offenders’ attorney, said Wednesday on Twitter that “coming onto their property to force them to display signs” is not a legal avenue to inform the public of sex offenders in Butts County.
Georgia law already prohibits registered sex offenders from placing Halloween decorations on their property.
“There are some sex offenders that are not happy,” Long said in a statement last year.
“But I’m not in the business of making them happy. I’m in the business of keeping safe communities and making sure that our children are protected.”