Dad says he might attend graduation
James Jones raped a 15-year-old girl when he was 17, a Buchanan County jury decided in 1990.
Now 36, Mr. Jones wants to attend his child’s Truman Middle School eighth-grade graduation.
But since he’s a convicted sex offender, Missouri law and St. Joseph School District Superintendent Dr. Melody Smith told him “no.”
He said he thinks the decision is unfair, so he’s contemplating showing up at the May 22 graduation even though the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department told him he’ll face two to four years in prison if he’s there.
“I’ve already been punished for this. This isn’t about me anymore. Now they’re punishing my kids, and that’s taking it a little too far,” said Mr. Jones, who served five years in prison for the forcible rape conviction. “I’m always preaching education to my children. How does that make me look if I’m not there at graduation?”
He told the school district and sheriff’s department he plans to attend graduation.
“We’ll be there. And we’ll arrest him if he’s there,” said sheriff’s investigator Shawn Collie.
Truman’s graduation will be at Central High School.
In August 2006, a law went into effect that says sex offenders cannot go on school property without permission from the district superintendent. Government meetings or polling sites are exceptions.
All school superintendents in Buchanan County are banning all sex offenders from schools instead of addressing requests on a case-by-case basis.
“If I start deciding which offenders can and cannot be at school, then I become the judge. And it is not my position to judge a case. The courts have already done that,” Dr. Smith said. “My job is to provide for the safekeeping of 11,632 students and the people who attend our events.”
Offenders not satisfied with Dr. Smith’s decision can go to the Board of Education. However, the board backs her decision on the issue.
Dr. Smith said at least five offenders have requested permission to go into schools. Four of them visited her office.
“Half of them have been extremely sad about the decision, and half of them have been rudely angry,” she said.
Mr. Jones has pushed the issue more than any other offender, Mr. Collie said.
Mr. Collie and Dr. Smith said law enforcement and school authorities have been alerted to two or three offenders on school grounds. They were asked to leave and complied.
They weren’t arrested because they hadn’t signed a sheriff’s office agreement stating they knew about the law, Mr. Collie said. If an offender recently moved into the county, he or she may not have signed the agreement.
Since Mr. Jones was convicted of a sex crime prior to 1995, he is not a registered sex offender. This means he doesn’t appear on registered sex offender lists, and he doesn’t have to check in with the sheriff’s department every 90 days. He’s still required to follow sex offender laws.
State lawmakers are considering putting a constitutional amendment to voters that would classify Mr. Jones and the other about 120 Buchanan County offenders convicted prior to 1995 as registered sex offenders.
The sheriff’s department made Mr. Jones aware of the law change regarding schools and sex offenders, and he has signed the agreement.
While it is possible that sex offenders ignore the law and walk school halls undetected, they face incarceration if caught.
Mr. Jones also has convictions for delivery of a controlled substance and non-support. He has three children and court records did not indicate which one was involved in the nonsupport case.
He doesn’t live with the Truman child. He and the mother have joint custody. He plans to talk to his child about the graduation situation before making a final decision about attending.
Efforts to reach the mother were unsuccessful.
Nancy Hull can be reached at nancyhull@npgco.com.
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Have the childs mother take a camcorder and tape the graduation, its the next best thing to being there.That will save the embaressment of you getting thrown in jail and save your kids embaressement from there friends.
Posted by lone_thunder45 on May 10, 2008 at 8:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)Since its already known the sheriffs dept will be there, why don't they just escort and sit with the man and stop all the hassle.
Posted by Fatherof2 on May 10, 2008 at 9:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)I will support with a donation to offset this mans court costs. As a father, He needs to go to the graduation. I agree, he has already paid for his crime. Soccer moms need to take a chill pill. Could someone based in MO, please start a donation fund, and I will contibute.
Posted by wiltiger on May 11, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)Hmmm, so the guy's a convicted sex offender, convicted drug dealer AND doesn't pay child support . . . yeah, I'd want him in my kid's school, too. Model parent! Even giving him the benefit of "mending his ways", he needs to abide by the law for a change!
Posted by Mr_America on May 12, 2008 at 8:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)It looks like this dad in question continues to make poor decisions. We all make beds that we must eventually lie in how ever uncomfortable they may be.
Posted by missouri_mule on May 12, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)HEY, HE RAPED SOMEONE, THE CREAP DESERVES TO BE BANNED FROM SCHOOL EVENTS!! HE IS NO DIFFRENT THAN A CHILD MOLESTOR!
Posted by TheShadow on May 12, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)That's a great idea. Let's see if we can get some other drug dealing rapists that won't pay to support their kids so we can throw some money to them as well. After all this guy is a victim right??
He committed crimes and has to pay the consequences bottom line. There are reasons we don't allow sex offenders in our schools and we should not start escorting them just because they complain. Then we will be paying for the sheriff to be in every school in case one of them wanted to come by.
Use some common sense!
Posted by gr8fan on May 12, 2008 at 8:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)Father of 2
Posted by 4wildones on May 12, 2008 at 11:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)The ones I'm concerned about are your 2. If you feel the way you are stating, I think they may be in trouble. Why would you support a 3-time loser. Geez! Not to mention, offering to pay his court costs. Thanks to the rest of you, though, as it appears that the majority are thinking correctly on this one.
Seems this guy is not so much wanting to "be there" for his child as he wants to create a scene and try to drum up some sympathy. If he was worried about being around for his children he would not be threatening to do something that he knows (and he does know, he's been told) will send him to prison. How much good will it do the child then. He obviously is not thinking about what it will do to the child to have a parent arrested at the graduation. Too bad you didn't know how much you were going to be followed by your crime later in life. Maybe, just maybe, it would have been a deterrant at the time.
Posted by meow on May 12, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)I would like to commend the St. Joseph School District for protecting their students by keeping a sexual predator away from graduation. This guy changed his victim's life FOREVER, and he should suffer the consequences for the rest of his life. He raped another individual. He sexually violated a young girl against her will. This is something she will carry with her for the rest of her life, as should he. He doesn't deserve rights.
Posted by gr8fan on May 12, 2008 at 6:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)Meow,
Posted by rush620 on May 13, 2008 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)Your comments were purr-fect!
I would also like to commend the superintendant for her decision. The thing that puzzles me is did this guy actually rape this girl, or was he a 17 year old boy "dating" a 15 year old girl. AND is the child that is graduating from Truman the one he doesn't pay child support on, or perhaps he was behind and is now currant. I totally understand the whole sex offender on school property, but there could be a little more to this story. I know of a couple who when the boy was 18 she was 15, he went to jail for rape, when he got out they ended up getting married and have been for the last 20 - 25 years. He is still considered a sex offender.
Posted by meow on May 13, 2008 at 4:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)It doesn't sound like a consenting relationship to me. With the victim being 15 and the offender being 17, he would not have been a legal adult, therefore, should not have faced any charges related to the age of the victim. Please see MO Statutes below relating to the subject.
From MO Statutes:
Statutory rape, first degree, penalty.
566.032. 1. A person commits the crime of statutory rape in the first degree if he has sexual intercourse with another person who is less than fourteen years old.
Statutory rape, second degree, penalty.
566.034. 1. A person commits the crime of statutory rape in the second degree if being twenty-one years of age or older, he has sexual intercourse with another person who is less than seventeen years of age.
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