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Cracking down: Adult Probation Department stepping up enforcement efforts with new 10-member search and seizure team
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Bulletproof vests. Check. Pepper spray. Check.
On a recent weekday Angelina County Adult Probation Department's 10-member search and seizure team gathered in a classroom of the probation office in Lufkin. It was 8 a.m. and everyone in the room appeared alert, giving their full attention to the front of the room where two staff members spoke. The occasion marked the first time the department would deploy a search team to a high-risk offender's home. Months of training had come to a head on this day.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Team members re-group after searching a sex offender's home. For the team to conduct a search, the offender must sign a consent agreement or risk having his probation revoked. From the left, Treatment Alternative to Incarceration Program coordinator Chris Harris, Specialized Case Work Supervisor Dustin Fore, Victim Service Coordinator Cassey Cox, Probation Officer Westley Skidmore, Drug Court Probation Officer Paly Shapaka and Probation Officer for the mentally impaired Dain Smith.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Angelina County Adult Probation Officer Lisa Page, who supervises sex offenders on probation, briefs the department's 10-member search and seizure team on what to expect when they arrive at the home. The department has recently stepped up its supervision efforts using a trained team of staff members to look through homes of high-risk offenders who are suspected of violating the terms of their probation.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Officers listen to instructions from Angelina County Adult Probation Officer Lisa Page during a 20-minute briefing before the search.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Specialized Case Work Supervisor Dustin Fore, who trained the department's search and seizure team, gives a brief overview before the search, reminding members of protocol. ''If you find anything illegal, such as child porn, let me know and we will call law enforcement to take over from there,'' he said.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Victim Service Coordinator Cassey Cox and Probation Officer Stephanie Hill put on their customized bulletproof vests after a meeting about plans for the search.
At the front of the room, probation officer Lisa Page, who oversees the sex offender case load, stood before a marker board with a diagram of the offender's home. She told the team what to expect.
"This is one of my sex offenders. He's one that prefers children," she said. "During a recent walk-through, I saw a lot of kids' movies, cartoons and a couple of toys in the master bedroom. We mainly want to know if he's hiding some stuff."
The offender had been sentenced to probation several years ago for sexually assaulting young girls, one as young as 4.
"This guy is a true pedophile. I don't know how he got probation, but nowadays that probably wouldn't happen," said supervisor Dustin Fore.
Page advised the staff to look for signs indicating children had recently lived there. The offender does have children in his family, but they are not allowed to live in the same home as him, she said.
"He doesn't need to have Toys'R'Us catalogs. He doesn't need 'Barney' videos," Page said. "He's not watching 'Barney' because he thinks it's neat when the children jump up and get excited. He's flipping the script in his head: 'Do you want some candy?' or 'Let grandpa touch you.' That's what's going on."
Any evidence that suggested children had been living there, Page advised staff to photograph. The photographs would later be presented to a judge who would decide if the offender had violated a term of his probation. If staff found anything illegal in the home, such as child porn, Fore said law enforcement would be called to handle the search from that point.
"If he doesn't comply, let him know we'll shut the search down and he'll be in violation of his probation," he said.
Page then gave out assignments to each team member, instructing them on which areas of the house they would search and what to expect. The meeting broke and the team piled into two probation department SUVs, five members in each car.
When they arrived at the house, the sex offender and his wife were brought out front where he signed a consent agreement for the search. Team members checked the perimeter of the house while others cleared the inside to make sure no one else was inside the residence. The search began.
Officer Dain Smith, who oversees the mentally impaired cases, started in the kitchen. He used a flashlight to look through the contents of a pantry. Behind boxes of food he found two jars filled with crayons.
"I don't keep crayons hidden in the pantry," he said. "He shouldn't have these."
Officer Stephanie Hill took a photograph.
In the bathroom, Drug Court officer Paly Shapaka looked through a closet. There she found children's clothes and a gift bag filled with a half dozen Playboy magazines. Hill took photos.
In the master bedroom, Page found a blurry photograph that had fallen behind the headboard. The photo was of a blonde-haired, shirtless boy who appeared to be around 8 years old. Hill took a photograph of the find.
"That's creepy, knowing him," Page said.
She found a blue pair of kid sunglasses in an underwear drawer and a box full of Barbies under the bed. Hill snapped photos of those too.
In a spare bedroom, Victim Service Coordinator Cassey Cox discovered an oversized Troll doll, children's books and a slew of other children's toys. Hill photographed them all.
In the living room, Fore found a pornographic movie among a dozen and a half children's movies, such as "Hooked on Phonics," "Lizzie McGuire" and "The Fox and the Hound."
"This guy is a bit of a pack rat," Fore said later. "He was trying to make all kinds of excuses for having kid stuff in the house. We told him to box up all the toys, movies and video tapes and give them to family."
The porn was confiscated by probation because the sex offender is not allowed to have any, according to Fore.
"Drug addicts just don't lose meth, just like a sex offender doesn't lose his porn," he said.
"Lisa (Page) doesn't allow them to have excuses," Fore added.
While the number of sex offender cases has grown within the department, Fore said the number of cases involving true pedophiles has not.
"Fourteen years ago, the entire sex offender case load was comprised of older men who liked young victims, normally family members," he said. "You just don't see that anymore. Most sexual assault cases we see now are 'Romeo' cases."
Romeo cases usually involve an underage girl having sex with a man three to eight years older than her.
Sex offenders are not the only ones considered high-risk within the department. Offenders with a known violent criminal history or a domestic violence charge are examples of others the department keeps a close watch on, Fore said.
"If we think it's a threat to the community, we're going to go after it," he said.
All a probation officer needs to prompt a search is reasonable suspicion an offender is violating a term of his probation. However, the offender must give signed consent before his home can be searched. If he refuses, his probation could be revoked.
The idea for the search and seizure team was hatched by probation director Rodney Thompson, who brought the idea from Tarrant County where he worked for a number of years. Angelina County currently oversees more than 1,700 probation cases.
Cracking down: Adult Probation Department stepping up enforcement efforts with new 10-member search and seizure team
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Bulletproof vests. Check. Pepper spray. Check.
On a recent weekday Angelina County Adult Probation Department's 10-member search and seizure team gathered in a classroom of the probation office in Lufkin. It was 8 a.m. and everyone in the room appeared alert, giving their full attention to the front of the room where two staff members spoke. The occasion marked the first time the department would deploy a search team to a high-risk offender's home. Months of training had come to a head on this day.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Team members re-group after searching a sex offender's home. For the team to conduct a search, the offender must sign a consent agreement or risk having his probation revoked. From the left, Treatment Alternative to Incarceration Program coordinator Chris Harris, Specialized Case Work Supervisor Dustin Fore, Victim Service Coordinator Cassey Cox, Probation Officer Westley Skidmore, Drug Court Probation Officer Paly Shapaka and Probation Officer for the mentally impaired Dain Smith.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Angelina County Adult Probation Officer Lisa Page, who supervises sex offenders on probation, briefs the department's 10-member search and seizure team on what to expect when they arrive at the home. The department has recently stepped up its supervision efforts using a trained team of staff members to look through homes of high-risk offenders who are suspected of violating the terms of their probation.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Officers listen to instructions from Angelina County Adult Probation Officer Lisa Page during a 20-minute briefing before the search.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Specialized Case Work Supervisor Dustin Fore, who trained the department's search and seizure team, gives a brief overview before the search, reminding members of protocol. ''If you find anything illegal, such as child porn, let me know and we will call law enforcement to take over from there,'' he said.
Joel Andrews/The Lufkin Daily News
(ENLARGE)
Victim Service Coordinator Cassey Cox and Probation Officer Stephanie Hill put on their customized bulletproof vests after a meeting about plans for the search.
At the front of the room, probation officer Lisa Page, who oversees the sex offender case load, stood before a marker board with a diagram of the offender's home. She told the team what to expect.
"This is one of my sex offenders. He's one that prefers children," she said. "During a recent walk-through, I saw a lot of kids' movies, cartoons and a couple of toys in the master bedroom. We mainly want to know if he's hiding some stuff."
The offender had been sentenced to probation several years ago for sexually assaulting young girls, one as young as 4.
"This guy is a true pedophile. I don't know how he got probation, but nowadays that probably wouldn't happen," said supervisor Dustin Fore.
Page advised the staff to look for signs indicating children had recently lived there. The offender does have children in his family, but they are not allowed to live in the same home as him, she said.
"He doesn't need to have Toys'R'Us catalogs. He doesn't need 'Barney' videos," Page said. "He's not watching 'Barney' because he thinks it's neat when the children jump up and get excited. He's flipping the script in his head: 'Do you want some candy?' or 'Let grandpa touch you.' That's what's going on."
Any evidence that suggested children had been living there, Page advised staff to photograph. The photographs would later be presented to a judge who would decide if the offender had violated a term of his probation. If staff found anything illegal in the home, such as child porn, Fore said law enforcement would be called to handle the search from that point.
"If he doesn't comply, let him know we'll shut the search down and he'll be in violation of his probation," he said.
Page then gave out assignments to each team member, instructing them on which areas of the house they would search and what to expect. The meeting broke and the team piled into two probation department SUVs, five members in each car.
When they arrived at the house, the sex offender and his wife were brought out front where he signed a consent agreement for the search. Team members checked the perimeter of the house while others cleared the inside to make sure no one else was inside the residence. The search began.
Officer Dain Smith, who oversees the mentally impaired cases, started in the kitchen. He used a flashlight to look through the contents of a pantry. Behind boxes of food he found two jars filled with crayons.
"I don't keep crayons hidden in the pantry," he said. "He shouldn't have these."
Officer Stephanie Hill took a photograph.
In the bathroom, Drug Court officer Paly Shapaka looked through a closet. There she found children's clothes and a gift bag filled with a half dozen Playboy magazines. Hill took photos.
In the master bedroom, Page found a blurry photograph that had fallen behind the headboard. The photo was of a blonde-haired, shirtless boy who appeared to be around 8 years old. Hill took a photograph of the find.
"That's creepy, knowing him," Page said.
She found a blue pair of kid sunglasses in an underwear drawer and a box full of Barbies under the bed. Hill snapped photos of those too.
In a spare bedroom, Victim Service Coordinator Cassey Cox discovered an oversized Troll doll, children's books and a slew of other children's toys. Hill photographed them all.
In the living room, Fore found a pornographic movie among a dozen and a half children's movies, such as "Hooked on Phonics," "Lizzie McGuire" and "The Fox and the Hound."
"This guy is a bit of a pack rat," Fore said later. "He was trying to make all kinds of excuses for having kid stuff in the house. We told him to box up all the toys, movies and video tapes and give them to family."
The porn was confiscated by probation because the sex offender is not allowed to have any, according to Fore.
"Drug addicts just don't lose meth, just like a sex offender doesn't lose his porn," he said.
"Lisa (Page) doesn't allow them to have excuses," Fore added.
While the number of sex offender cases has grown within the department, Fore said the number of cases involving true pedophiles has not.
"Fourteen years ago, the entire sex offender case load was comprised of older men who liked young victims, normally family members," he said. "You just don't see that anymore. Most sexual assault cases we see now are 'Romeo' cases."
Romeo cases usually involve an underage girl having sex with a man three to eight years older than her.
Sex offenders are not the only ones considered high-risk within the department. Offenders with a known violent criminal history or a domestic violence charge are examples of others the department keeps a close watch on, Fore said.
"If we think it's a threat to the community, we're going to go after it," he said.
All a probation officer needs to prompt a search is reasonable suspicion an offender is violating a term of his probation. However, the offender must give signed consent before his home can be searched. If he refuses, his probation could be revoked.
The idea for the search and seizure team was hatched by probation director Rodney Thompson, who brought the idea from Tarrant County where he worked for a number of years. Angelina County currently oversees more than 1,700 probation cases.
