John Albert Gardner

In light of the recent tragedy in San Diego where 17-year-old Chelsea King was raped and murdered, the fact that convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner could be the man responsible is sparking an outrage across America.  The big question is how can a man who should have spent 10 years behind bars, serve five and be on probation for mere three? 

Gardner was convicted in 2000 of sexually assaulting and attacking a girl in his own home.  He punched the 13-year-old in the face numerous times during the attack.  If Gardner is guilty of murdering Chelsea, one has to wonder if giving him the maximum sentence could have prevented this horrific incident.

Then, over the weekend, the bones of Amber Dubois were found.  This teen went missing more than a year ago, on February 13, 2009 as she walked to school.  We are waiting for the autopsy and toxicology reports to come back, and if this is, in fact, a murder, there may be evidence linking Gardner to her death as well.  Gardner was also charged with assault for an attack he allegedly committed on December 27, 2009 on a woman in the same park where Chelsea was found.  Investigators throughout the area are opening up cases on women who say they were attacked to see if Gardner could be linked to them as well.  

I read an article over the weekend by Jim Moret in The Huffington Post about GPS for sexual predators. Jim says, “I can locate my car and even find my phone with a tracking device. So why not do the same with Registered Sex Offenders? It’s time they give up their ability to roam freely once they are convicted of such a horrible crime. As a lawyer, I believe strongly in protecting the rights of the accused, even of the convicted – but not at the expense of past and future victims,” and to be honest, I couldn’t agree more.  If our prisons are overpopulated, and we cannot lock predators away for life if they commit an offense on a child, then why not utilize GPS on predators for as long as they live and breathe on this planet?

Another interesting point is that no one in the neighborhood was alerted to the fact that Gardner was out of prison, and living back in their community.  I understand the resources of police departments and sheriff’s offices throughout the country are limited, especially with budget cuts, but I know of plenty of hometown people who are heading up information campaigns in their communities to alert residents to a variety of crimes. 

Here’s another problem: the convicted sex offender registries do not specify what the offender is convicted of.  Did the guy urinate in public or molest a child?  We should consider a way of color coding that system; i.e. red for child offense, blue for adult offense, yellow for other. I feel the information entered into these systems should come with more information about the person and the crime committed based on what got them convicted in the first place.  This information is public record, but it takes a lot of time and energy for citizens to track down the information.

In his article, Jim says, “My iPhone has a GPS chip which enables me to find it if it is lost or stolen. Many cars have a similar device. We insert microchips in our dogs and cats for identification – why can’t chips be implanted in convicted sex offenders to make sure we always know where they are?” He is so right. 

Until the laws are fixed, and there is a national standard across the board, citizens have to be vigilant in their own communities.  This means checking the Family Watchdog site, and state sex offender registries in your area and knowing who lives around you.  Consider making one person the lead in your community to watch police department press releases, and send out e-mail alerts when things are going on in your community.  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a program you can implement in your own town called TAKE 25.  This program promotes safety and awareness, and can even help you to hold events in your own communities.

What are your thoughts?  Do you have ideas to keep better track of sex offenders?  Post your comment below.