Child Sex Offender Across Street - What Would You Do?

http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov
will allow you to search by zip & get more info on his offense...
How long did you commit to the lease?
I'd probably plan on moving after that, although you will find offenders in most areas...but use the website before you commit next time!

K.,

Go to the hall of records and see exactly what this man was convicted off. There are many people who must register as sex offenders because they were 18, 21, etc., and has sex with their underage girlfriend who they later married.

On the other hand, if this man was a actual child molester, I would not move into the new place. Peace of mind in a small home is better then constant anxiety in big home.

Blessings.....

Familywatchdog.us website states the crime they were charged with.. .
Horrible!! sorry for situations. Good luck!

http://www.familywatchdog.us/

His (or her) conviction is public information available to you with a request under the "Freedom of Information Act". Find out what they were convicted of. Depending on the conviction, he may not be able to live with in 1/4 mile of a school or public park ( playground) frequented by children. If they violate those rules/laws he could be arrested and/or be required to move.

However there are some flaws in our sex offender laws. Example a woman arrested and convicted of being on a beach topless could be required to register as a sex offender. Two high scool students with runaway hormones have sex. She is a junior and almost 17. He is a senior and just over 18. He was convicted and is now a registered sex offender. And there are other similar examples.

Stay cautious ! ! ! Read and learn about Megan's Law. Learn what is required by your state and what your options are. Put good latches or your backyard gates. If you are concerned about some one coming in your back yard, put motion dectors on your back yard gates so you'll know if someone comes in or out. Use lights not bells as your indicatior. If you are really concerned someone might climb a fence, plant blackberries along your fence. I would recommend "Prime Jim" blackberries because they have nice thorns, good berries, are prolific and semi-erect. The ones I have grow tall rather than wide and some are over 6' tall. Roses are another intruder discourger. Tropicana, Heirloom, Mr Lincoln, Big B., Double Delight, and Chrysler Imperial are good, pretty , fragrant roses. Don Juan is a nice climbing rose you can train up to the top of your fence and along the top. I planted these roses in front of my windows and don't wory about break-ins.

Good luck to you and yours.

I know exactly how you feel! When we were shooping around for houses for sale, I'd always check back with WatchDog.com to see if there were any convicted child sex offenders in the area. Well we bought a house in a great family-oriented neighborhood only to find out that one month later a man recently convicted of molesting a 5 year old girl moved just one block away. At first, I was horrified and terribly uneasy, but then I really contemplated the entirety of the situation and realized that no matter where we move, there is always the risk of living next to or in close proximity to a child sex offender.
1. Get the details and obtain an official copy of the incident from public records at your county court house.
2. Regularly checking the Megan's Law website to see if the offender is in violation.
3. Talk to your neighbors - especially those with children to feel out the situation and see if the have any insight to that person or his/her habits.

I personally went overboard (according to my bf) in that I put a flyer on everyone's door in the surrounding blocks of the offender's house. From my point of view I wanted to make sure that my community was informed in order to protect their children and I wanted that offender a clear message that the entire surrounding community was well aware of his face and knew about his crimes, and that he was being carefully watched. I pull no punches in the safety and well-being of my child, but no matter what you can't prevent sexual offenders of any kind from moving in next door to you where ever you go. Plus if you really think about - you at least know what that convicted person looks like and can take certain precautions to avoid any possible prying eyes from across the street (you might choose more private window coverings and opt to play in the backyard instead of the front) and add extra safety devices (security system and window alarms) not only for safety, but also for peace of mind. You know, the real threat out there are the ones that we don't know of, those everyday people, those not yet convicted or whose convictions are unknown to us - those random strangers we come across in public settings that want to see and play with our children. Personally, I do not believe or feel that you are putting your daughter in harms way. And although you and your husband are going to be more precautious, you're not going to change the way in which you watch over your child no matter if there was an offender next door or not - she's 16 months old and its not like your letting loose to run around in the neighborhood unattended.

It should be a matter of public record. You might go to the courthouse and see what else you can find out. There is a big difference between a molester and someone who slept with his underage girlfriend, but they can both be convicted of the same crime.

We have a level 3 sex offender down the street from us and we were notified by the county via mail upon his moving in (required now because of Megan's Law). It enclosed his picture, physical detail, car and license plate detail, his record and what the different levels mean (3 is the worst and it was because he failed to register in 2006 and originally in 1987 he was convicted for the molestation of a 12 year old female aquaintence). I have a 4 year daughter and a 6 month old son but at the time was pregnant with my son and I was FREAKING OUT!!! He had moved in ironically right across from the playground. After going crazy about it for like 3 months and spying on the property and trying to figure who was who there I finally settled down. There was nothing I could do about it, I had been there first and certainly did not plan on moving so I figured we would just have to be extra causious and aware of our surroundings. My daughter NEVER does anything outside our home alone, if we do go for walks or to the playground we always bring our phone and a pocket knife (a legal one because switchblades are illegal) or mase and I watch like a hawk. I have started to tell my daughter about how careful we need to eb outside and to make sure you are always looking around to see who is outside etc. and so far there have been no problems. I realized I have to move on or he has won if my life becomes so debilitated by his past that I am not able to live it freely. The other realization I came to is that moving away will just put you closer to another offender because like it or not, they are everywhere.

Tough one. Just be cautious, if you move in. It's true, I think they need to give us more info, like the age the person was when they commited this lewd and lecivious act. Were they 18 with their 17 year old girlfriend and the parents pressed charges? Or were they 50 with a 3 month old? It makes a difference and that's what I hate about that website, it clumps everyone into one category.

I'm a bit bolder than the average person, but I might go to the door and ask to speak with him and just tell him that you are going around to the neighbors before you move in and have them give you feedback on the the neighborhood. Go to all of the houses nearby and you don't need to come out directly and ask about the sex offender. If they offer that info, then great.

I will be doing this before we move again and not just due to protential sex offenders, but because some of our neighbors are crazy and I wish I had a feel for them before we spent this kind of money on a home.

Breathe.

For heaven's sake, don't OVER-react! With the ridiculously draconian "sex" laws we have, this guy could have been urinating in public behind a bar at 2AM. I agree that a 16-month old needs supervision, but if you teach your child that everyone is a potential child molester, they will never learn to cope with anything that life throws at them. I highly recommend reading Lenore Skenazy's blog, Free-Range Kids, at http://freerangekids.wordpress.com for some commonsense about raising kids almost anywhere without going crazy with worry.

I would do research and find another place. You can replace your home but not your daughter.

We live down the street from a "level 2, victim child female" offender. We owned our house years before he came to live with his sister. We organized a neighbor hood watch for kids, and had the juvinle police officer in our city come speak to the children in the neighborhood about child lures and dangers. She was pretty clear to the parents, we are better off knowing where he is, because our children are in more danger from the ones we don't yet know about. Take this as an opportuniy to teach your children to be safe. As for moving, you are the only one who can decided. There are probably other houses that can fit the bill for what you need, but you may be moving in next to someone else who may be a threat too. You can't be %100 sure that you will never live near an offender, they are everywhere.

M.

Hi K. - you may have contractual obligations that keep you in this house. Have a conversation with the owners of the house to see if they can find out more information for you about his offense.

If you cant get out of your rental agreement for financial or other reasons, be diligent about watching your little one when she is playing outside. You would do this anyway. She is only 16 months old so it isnt like she is going to run off to the park to play alone or be left outside alone to play where someone can get at her. Also, now that you know he has a record - dont invite him onto your property and tell your kids to not talk to him or go in his yard or his house.

Ohhh, this is a tough one that I feel compelled to respond to. : ) I even called my husband after reading your post just to get his intake if we were ever in this situation. We're in the house hunting process right now so I feel what you are going through. A sex offender is a sex offender, he was found guilty of some sex crime with a child and it doesn't matter what the crime or how bad it was, it's not worth living next to one with children! That's a dream come true for these pervs! If the systems to screwed up to let these pervs out then the least we can do is KEEP OUR KIDS AWAY FROM THEM!

So to answer your questions, theres just NO WAY I'd EVER move to a neighborhood where there was a "known" sex offender so close to my home. IF you did not have kids, then no need to "worry" right? But you do have a child and the safety of your child should come before any nice house.

I know we live in a day and time where you have to worry about your childs safety no matter what neighborhood you live in, but with the added fact that you will always be in fear from an accused offender doesn't seem worth it to me. Say this perv starts preying on your child or planning an attack, you'll never know until it's to late, just the thought that this sicko might be out in his yard watching my child playing would creep me out to much.

IMO, you found this out for a reason. You have a child and God wants you to protect that child as best at you can. Keep looking for a house, the right one will come and there's plenty out there that are sex offender free and no daily worry for you. Good luck to you!!

Way to close for comfort. I personally would not live across the street from such a monster. They are sick individuals and I would not take a chance. They are evil conniving master manipulators. I personally would check out another place to live. I wish you luck!

The fact that you have a daughter and the individual across the street is a child sex offender, I would opt out of the house and look for another one. Do you have to move out of your current place right away? If not, I would try to find another house to lease. I just don't think it's worth the risk and I wouldn't want to worry about my daughter playing in the front of back yard because of it. I just wouldn't feel comfortable knowing that there is a child sex offender living right across the street no matter how nice the house is. I know you desperately need this house for your growing family but I think in the long run you would feel better if you found another house? That's just my thoughts, hope this helps.

Wow...what a situation. I would feel better if I knew what he was convicted of doing. If it was a 18 year old boy with his 16 year old girlfriend situation and the parents pressed charges then there is not any worry.

Here in Texas you can look up your local sex offenders through I believe a county website and it discloses the conviction. I would see if you could locate another website that discloses what crime he committed.

there's one on our street never see or hear about him..someone once posted pix of him up and down the street ...but he's just never around..been here 6 years..don't fret too much ...perhaps get a dog..and security alarm??
i'm a SAHM i don't let my son play out in the front yard unsupervised..he sticks to the back mostly..and he sleeps in my room with me even though our house is big..i feel safer that way...we also have 3 dogs that alert us whenever anyone comes on the property..they're small dogs but they do their job

xo

dd

I checked all of that out before we decided to put an offer down on our house. There is no chance in hell that I'd live there.

How could you feel safe? He is going to see your children every single day, know your routine, they'll never be able to safely walk to school, etc. The truth is, you don't NEED this house, you want it. No one is going to die if you find another place. I don't mean to sound harsh, just pointing it out. I know that you really think it would be a great house, but at what price? It's not worth it.

Don't go there. Tell the landlord what you found out and let them know that you cannot move in.

I think it's really important to know exactly what the offender did. It may be something like lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor over 14, or it could be something even worse. Personally, I would be extremely nervous. I do not feel that sex offenders, particularly pedophiles, can be rehabilitated. Is it worth having a yard if you can't let your daughter play out there unattended? You are going to be on constant alert and never feel comfortable in your home. I would keep looking...it's not worth it!

L.

For the future, I think it's better not to look at that website and find out. You'll drive yourself crazy - they are everywhere! Just make sure your daughter is aware of what goes on around her and knows what is inappropriate behavior from adults. Hopefully the man is changed. Just be aware yourself. Good luck!

Just because a person is on the registry does not make the person a "perv" or dangerous. They can get put on the registry for life before they are even old enough to drink -- for having consensual sex with their younger boyfriend or girlfriend. The registry is in essence, broken - overused.

The statistics show our children are more likely to be molested by a family member than anyone else.

I understand you need a larger home but under no circumstances should you move across the street from a registered child sex offender. This is a compulsion and there is no "cure". Please do not even consider endangering your child. Call the landlord and break the lease today.

If you an get out of the lease, I'd be getting out without question! Once a child sex offender, always a child sex offender - they just get smarter! How can you possibly live comfortably knowing this? Who cares what the "more info" is to "see what he did"??!!!! Where is your cut off for it being an offense? You don't think you will be giving this person pleasure just by watching you & your daughter come & go? Personally, I can't believe a mom would even write for opinions AND I can't believe I have to respond to someone even asking. I would take this as a sure sign that this home isn't the right home for you. You have two weeks; use it to find the right one. Good luck in your future decisions & be sure to check the addresses out BEFORE you go look at the place let alone sign a lease.

A registered sex offenders cannot live within 2,000 ft. (about 2/5 mile) from any school or park. (so if you have a park or school nearby - the registered sex offender will have to move).

http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/

You need to be vigilant.
I don't live in California any more, so I don't know the stipulations on this.

Even at this age - you need to tell your daughter about "Good touch/Bad touch" and let her know that NO ONE is to touch her in certain places.

I personally would be bold enough to go to the house and say "I know you are a registered sex offender."

My thoughts and prayers will be with you!!

Best regards,

Cheryl

I agree with Bethany, see what you can find out.

Keep in mind, that no matter where you move there is always the possibility that your neighbor has a criminal past or that a sex offender could come into your neighborhood. If you really like the house and the neighborhood I would try to look at it as a positive in that you know what you have in that neighbor and can do your due diligence and protect your daughter. Any other place you would live, you wouldn't know who or what was living next door or across the street.

If your comfortable with this, you could also go to some of the other neighboring houses and see if you could talk to the owners about the neighborhood. If you're forward enough you could flat out ask about the situation or if not just ask vague questions about the neighborhood and other neighbors in general and see what kind of info you pick up.

Good luck,
K.

What a nightmare! I know you need the room but you can find another house somewhere without a child sex offender accross the street. The only way you can "feel better" is to not move there. No excuses. Don't do it.

I would move there, buy a gun , learn how to use it and buy 2nd amendment stickers or lawn signs to put on my lawn. Sex offenders are everywhere unfortunately. At least you know where this one is!

hi what i think you should not move in the house because thats on your head now every little things that happen you would be paranoid and it would not be healthy for you or your new growing family try looking for a place where you are going to be worry free...... like the door, what's that noise, where my daughter and so on you don't need stresss

I didn't read every response but some. If you check on www.familywatchdog.us/search.asp it will give you more info. Pictures, convictions, etc. and the public records. When we found the house we are living in now we found out there was a registered sex offender living 7 houses down from us. His convictions were lewd/sexual acts with a male child. My son was 7 at the time. Yikes! This was our dream home and the neighborhood was full of kids. It freaked me out but I decided I wasn't going to let it or him control my situation.
I photocopied pictures of the man and hung one by my front door so everyday when my son would leave the house he would see a reminder of this mans face.
I showed him the house and we talked about the man and what he did.
I always supervised his outdoor play and he had to play the opposite end of our street than what he lived on. The man eventually moved out in a little under a year. We love our house and our neighborhood so we made the right choice.

Talk to your future neighbors. We were in escrow for a house NEXT DOOR to a sex offender (fell out of escrow for financial reasons, not b/c of him). The neighbors assured us that he was not a problem. Honestly, registered sex offenders rarely (if ever) offend in their own neighborhoods (if at all again). I would be alert but not stressed all the time. I say, congrats on your new home & enjoy it!

P.S. After reading other responses, I have to add that this guy, as a registered sex offender is probably much safer than one who ISN'T registered. There are dangers wherever you live. I, truly, don't think this should consume you. Best of luck w/your decision!

There are sex offenders everywhere. There is no place that is totally safe. I would count myself lucky to know. Often times people don't. I watch my children like a hawk! I don't know what may come. What happens if you choose to live someplace else and a sex offender moves in after you are already established. There is no guarantee.

I have written privately to K..

After having read some of the responses here -- more than 50 and more still coming! -- I decided to write something here publicly as well.

As some of the women have already said, just being on the registry is NOT necessarily an indication that a person might be dangerous or has been dangerous in the past.

There are many reasons why some people get put onto the registry.
Hopefully, the way these registries are maintained will be improved in the future.

I see that K. lives in Santa Barbara.
For those of you who live in other places, I'd like you to know that Santa Barbara is amazing. Beautiful homes, beautiful city, beautiful hillside views. Etc. As some of you said, no matter where you go, there's a possibility that there will be problems or frightening possibilities.

If she has found a suitable place that she can afford,
I hope she'll take it and, if possible, that she'll find out who this person is.
It is likely that he (it's almost always he) is no threat to her family.

Gma S.
who considers the sex offender registries
(the way they are maintained)
a sighificant problem in our country

I am totally freaked out by sex offenders, if they have abused a child before......then they are likely to strike again. I guess I read too many terrible stories on the news online! I just want to know whats out there and never let my children be unattended. I think I would find out how many children are in this neighborhood and talk to the parents to see if any of them know about this sex offender person. Maybe one of the parents know exactly what they did.
It is smart of you to be concerned about this issue, for sure in our day and age!

When we lived in the city I was taking a walk with my kids and the dog, and was approached by the local news crew and cameras... they asked me how I felt about the sex offenders living in my neighborhood. I was like WHAAAT?? Come to find out, we have FOUR registered sex offenders living a few doors down! Come to find out, there was some law about them being housed in a single family home (it was essentially being used as a halfway house), and they had to move. The entire neighborhood signed petitions, and presented it to city councelmen who were ultimately the ones who looked up the laws and enforced the move out. Find out as much info as you can... find that loophole like we did, and make THEM move!! Best wishes!!

My brother-in-law was 18 when he almost had sex with a very willing 13yo. She decided last minute she didn't want to do 'it' and so he stopped. The doctor even confirmed she was still a virgin. BUT he did enough touching to qualify him as a child sex offender. He was a horny 18yo kid with a very older looking, willing 13yo. So it's hard to know the whole story of a person and sadly sometimes it can be a story like my brother-in-law and it will haunt him the rest of his life.

I'm glad things are working so yall can live there.

Don't go too nuts. They are all over and the odds are actually very small that they'll ever cause a problem for you or yours. Be cautious, of course, but don't overreact. Even if you didn't have any living near, most of them do own cars and there's nothing to keep them from driving by your place.

Teach your kids about strangers and specifically tell them to stay away from the one you're complaining about. Keep your doors and windows locked, just in case.

Also, get to know your neighbors. That'll give you a better read on the neighborhood and may make you feel better if you know you're all looking out for each other.

I think it is better to know what is across the street. Let's say you stay where you are, do you know that your neighbor isn't a child molester? Sometimes it is better to KNOW. Then you can keep your guard up. There are plenty of bad people out there that have never been caught, or aren't registered. Ideally, of course you don't want a molester across the street. But, no where is 100% perfect.

There are a lot of answers here. So I hope I don't duplicate. If you can find out what his crime was, that would make a difference. I don't like creeps either, but understand that the label "sex offender" can mean a LOT of things that won't affect you at all - an 18 year old having sex with a 16 year old, an incest situation, sexting, pornography, etc. Many "sex offender" crimes are offenses that occured in personal situations and are of no harm to the general public or to children at all.
We had a "sex offender" nearby - he molested his teenage step daughter. He wasn't picking kids up off the street. He was remorseful and did his time. I didn't want to befriend him, but I didn't fear him.
If his crime is one of concern, then I would try to get out of the lease.
Good luck.

Family watch dog did not have my address so I found no information from them. I did find the watch for my area and there are 13! 13! I think they will be everywhere no matter where you move. I checked my parents address, they have lived there 40 years and there are 12 within a 5 mile radius. I would count myself blessed to know beforehand who I need to watch around my child. I don't know if you can back out of your lease without soem financial consequences but I know no matter where you move, they will be there.

There are other sex offender sites that should be able to tell you what he did. Alot of them are minor offenses like flashing or such. We don't have any directly in our neighborhood, but we've looked at all of the ones in our area and most of them are nothing to be so worried about. I don't remember the site we use, but google "sex offender sites" or something and you should be able to come up with something.

If it were me, I would first check familywatchdog and find out what the crime was. I have heard of drunk people urinating in an alley, but near other people, and receiving a sex offender charge. Ridiculous. But if you find out it WAS for child molestation or the like, I would not move in, personally. No matter how careful and on-top of it you will be, who wants that cloud hanging over their home? I would never feel comfortable. The great thing is your renting, not buying, and you aren't cemented in. Let us know what you find out and choose to do!

First you need to be comfortable where you live and you may have to disclose this to the people who are renting this property to you. You were not informed of this and may have to back out of the lease. I would feel very uncomfortable. I think Watchdog.com has information about what their convictions were. You might want to check that one out. I am sorry, but I know that I would be uncomfortable too. I had many fears for my son. Many men would tell me all the time how beautiful he was. It would just plain creep me out. I don't know that I would rent there and be stuck in a full year's lease.

Have you been to the website by John Walsh (Adam Walsh's father and the America's Most Wanted) http://www.familywatchdog.us/??
You can sign up for alerts of sex offenders moving in and out of your area. You can also see a photo of most of them, get some info on what they did, etc. It might make you feel better ~ but unfortunately (as I have found) they are ALL AROUND US.
If you work from home and can be with your child you might feel better about things ~ It is really a tough decision.

There must be another house you can move to?? But, I also think there will be sex offendors in most neighborhoods, right? Tough decision!

I would pass on the house. I passed on a lot of houses because of that specific reason. The neighborhood we ended up in does not have any that are listed (granted they may be there but not registered), but at least I know I did not knowingly move near one. Peace of mind is worth it. I would not be able to let my kid out for one minute if I knew there was one that close. By the way, the website give details on why the person is registered. The majority of the ones I see have details and a picture as well. I think you can figure out which ones were just "silly teens" vs not.

I see that you already posted your "conclusion" but I wanted to add that you hit the nail on the HEAD! THEY are EVERYWHERE! And the unconvicted ones are too. We should never pretend that we are safe to just set our children free. We have to protect them.
You're probably better off because of this wake-up-call/reality-check.

Enjoy your wonderful new home!

Hi K. - I wouldn't do it no matter what lease obligation I/we made......and no matter how much I/we need the house. It's just not worth it. You home is your castle......that's where you and you family should be most at peace. If you can freely say you'd never feel worried, uncomfortable or anxious about him living DIRECTLY LIVING ACROSS THE STREET from you, then go for it. But personally, I could nor would NEVER take the chance, life is too short. We get one shot at raising our children and one mistake will change their lives, and yours, forever. Best wishes to you you and yours.

Most child sex offenders befriend your child so you can control that. While they are to be registered this is something you need to be cautious of regardless, family, friends etc. You know it so at least you can be aware. Last I checked the site showed what they were charged with, did that change?

BUT if is really not sitting well with you, don't do it!

I think you have done everything possible. I am not sure what info Megan's law gives but you could also try
http://www.familywatchdog.us/ this is a yahoo website that tells the
offense, place of work and home.
I hope this helps anyone here looking for information on their neighborhood.

There are going to be sex offenders any where you go. Many of them don't even register. Just keep a close eye on your baby and stay away from the neighbor. Also, that person may have already moved and just didn't update the records or could be using an address of a relative to be registered. I wouldn't worry too much. Just make sure to watch when your daughter is playing outside...I'm sure you will and keep all the doors and windows locked. I might would even get alarms put on the windows so you know if one is opened. There are felons everywhere!

I would not move in. If you have paid the deposit, it is worth losing that money. You can't put a price on the safety of you family. Especially your child. This should be a no brainer. Why are you even asking this question!

I am not worried about the sex offenders who have been identified, its the ones who haven't been caught you should worry about. At least you know to keep your eye on him.

Hi K., as a mother and a child care provider I totally understand your concerns, but get to someone before you judge, there a saying that say something like keep your enemies close like a brother, not to say this person is your enemie, At 16 months old I'm sure someone is always watching her. Dana made a really good point when she said sex offenders are everywhere, and at least you know. some move into an area and not know. Like I said don't judge someone pre maturely but take the percauttions you need to to keep your daughter safe from any and all dangers. J.

I haven't read all the responses - too many, but there are even sex offenders that are 19 year old boys who got caught having sex with their 17 year old girlfriend and they get that label forever. Find out what this guy did by going to the police dept.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but he could take photos of your child when she is outside playing and you would never know. Predators like to be able to see children and they could do all sorts of weird, creepy stuff.

Fact is, I am just as worried about the guy who hasn't been caught as those that have.

Personally, if she would be playing outside where he could see her, that would be a deal breaker for me. If he would ONLY see you guys like walking to your car or something, like very minimum visual exposure, it might be different.

The other thing you have to consider is, what do you tell her to say if he waves a friendly neighbor "hello". Do you tell your daughter she is living across the street from a dangerous freak that harms children?

The whole scenario sounds not the ideal situation at all.

You want to be excited and happy about your new place, not having dread!

If moving is not an option, what you can do is always be alert. I can not tell you where I work but I can say that sex offenders are around every corner. Be Alert speak to your child about anyone touching their bodies. Don't make the same mistakes people make when they try to explain bad touch; always remember, Children might not necessarily see this as a bad touch. Most of the time children get abused by a known person, Friend, Family even daddy, build trust with your child. Best way be there always, don’t allow Tommy, Suzy or uncle to baby-sit your little child. Don’t insist that daddy stay with molly cause you want to go out some where. Don’t allow your child to play outside without your supervison. If you are in a store keep them close to you, don’t allow them to stay in the toy section or game section while you are walking around the store. Unfortunately that is where Mr. and Mrs. sex-offender are lurking. Yeah I know this is too much, but I see this every single day.

I would recommend you find another house. You're going to be worried and thinking about this all the time. And it's not worth the risk. Nothing is worth that for the safety of your child. Sign out of the lease now before you make any move. You'll find a better home in a better area. Good luck.