COLE COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV) – A court ruling requires Missouri to at least temporarily remove GPS monitoring devices from some sex offenders.
The injunction was filed by attorney Matt Fry Monday in Cole County in a lawsuit filed against the state on behalf of a sex offender from St. Charles County.
On Monday, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Green ordered a temporary injunction to allow for more discussion of the new restrictions.
“I truly do feel that the Missouri legislation created this problem, but the Attorney General’s Office came together with the Missouri Department of Corrections, probation and parole and we all worked together to get everyone their rights back until we can further investigate,” says Fry.
One of the arguments is that lifetime monitoring was not part of the sentencing agreement for the over 360 offenders who had to get the GPS ankle monitors put on. In the past, the technology was used for high risk offenders.
The affected offenders were either found guilty or pleaded guilty to various sex crimes from non-contact to contact crimes based on an act committed on or after Aug. 28, 2006.
On Monday, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Green ordered a temporarily injunction to allow for more discussion of the new restrictions.
One registered sex offender who was one of the many who had to get a GPS monitoring device put on last month, did not want to reveal his identity.
“To get a good job, get your life back on track and make healthy choices to make sure you don’t create another victim this doesn’t help it at all,” he says.
He says wearing the device made him a target for ridicule.
“I was wearing shorts and at the time someone was at a traffic light next to me and saw them pointing at me it then they rolled their windows up,” he says.
Senator Bob Dixon was one of the co-sponsors of the revised state criminal code. He says he is confident the courts will sort out what the interpretation of the law is. We also reached out to the Attorney General’s Office who told us the office will not comment on pending legation.
Fry says he expects to have a resolution within the next couple of months.
