Author:
Kimberly J. Benjamin, Founder & Managing Attorney
June 22. 2020.
Missouri Sex Offenders
Missouri sex offenders face an incredible stigma that often follows them for the rest of their lives. According to the Rape, Assault, Incest National Network (RAINN), a person is sexually assaulted every seventy-three seconds in the United States, and a child is assaulted every nine minutes. Although the rate at which they are prosecuted varies by state, the repercussions can be life-altering if you are accused. This is especially distressing if you feel that you are innocent, as a conviction has life-long ramifications.
If you have been jailed and charged with one of these inflammatory offenses, a phone call to Missouri DWI & Criminal Law Center at Benjamin Law Firm, LLC should be your first step. In the United States, you are legally considered innocent until proven guilty. The state must establish the credibility of the charges beyond a shadow of a doubt to convict you.
Unfortunately, even the allegation of a sex offense can harm your future. Accused MO sex offenders require the counsel of an experienced legal representative to clear their names and salvage their lives.
Missouri Sex Offender Crimes
A Missouri sex offender is an individual convicted of committing a crime involving a sexual act or sexual contact with another—usually without consent—or conspiring to do so. This is usually when the action is undesirable or offensive to the other person. These sexual offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Illegal or coerced sexual misconduct
- Sexual exploitation
- Indecent exposure
- Possession of child pornography
- Child molestation
- Prostitution or solicitation
- Public indecency
- Rape
- Sexual abuse
- Sexual assault
- Statutory rape
A more comprehensive list can be found here: Missouri Sex Offender Laws.
Often, accused sex offenders and their alleged victims disagree about whether consent was granted, and therefore whether a crime was committed.
MO Sex Offender Charges
The seriousness of the charges a MO sexual offender faces is determined by whether the crime resulted in irreversible injuries, a weapon was used, or the alleged victim was a minor. Sex crimes are frequently complex, with differing accounts of what took place. An expert defense attorney is the only way to maintain your freedom or reduce the charges.
Missouri Sex Offender List
The federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) sets the national standard for registration and notification throughout the United States and serves as a baseline that all states are encouraged to meet. The National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) is a list of all convicted sex offenders throughout the country.
The Missouri Sex Offender Registry keeps information on sexual offenders in the state, including their address, appearance, and criminal history. The website is managed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In addition, registered sex offenders usually have to provide a DNA sample, a photograph, and a palm print. Law enforcement officials can keep this information on file. Processing and initial registration of sex offender information can be charged up to ten dollars.
Depending on the crime committed, certain sexual offenders maintain on the registry for life, while others can be removed after a while if certain requirements are met.
Failure of MO sex offenders to register or update their information is a federal offense. If you are convicted of a new violent crime as an unregistered sexual offender, up to thirty years can be added to your sentence. You need a skilled criminal defense attorney to navigate the system.
How Do You Look up Sex Offenders?
There may be a few reasons you would want to look up individual criminals, so how do you look up sex offenders? Simply log on to the NSOPW, read and understand the pertinent information, and click “continue.” The first method is to enter the offender’s first and last name to find information about a specific person.
The second is to enter your address or county and the distance within which you would like to search. You will be able to view a list of sex offenders in your area. If you click on a name, you will be able to view offender information like their registration number, aliases, crimes, vehicles, and any comments.
The Revised Statutes of Missouri, Chapter 589, Sections 400 to 425 and 43.650 mandates that sex offender registries maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol are accessible to the public. The county’s Chief Law Enforcement Official where the sex offender resides can provide additional information on sex offender registries. The person asking for more information should be advised that identification of a person believed to be a sexual offender can’t be made without a fingerprint comparison. Moreover, using information that can be found on a sex offender database regarding a registered sexual offender to commit a crime is illegal.
Conducting a Missouri Sex Offender Search
If you are conducting a Missouri sex offender search and notice the information is incorrect, you may contact the appropriate registration officials in the jurisdiction. The Missouri State Highway Patrol Sex Offender registry is set up similarly to the NSOPW.
Being listed on the state and national registries can destroy your life. Sex offenders in Missouri seeking a reputable attorney should contact the Missouri DWI & Criminal Law Center at Benjamin Law Firm, LLC.
Missouri Sex Offender Tier System
The Missouri Sex Offender Tier System is used to categorize the crimes and dictate the length of time the offender information remains on the registry. Depending on the offense, a Missouri sexual offender may be charged with committing assault and violent crimes. Hiring a lawyer with experience in defending a range of crimes will offer the best defense.
Missouri Sex Offender Tier III
The highest sex offender tier in Missouri state is Tier III. These individuals have been convicted of crimes that were punishable by at least one year in prison and committed a sex crime against a minor under thirteen years of age; it involved kidnapping a minor or occurred after a Tier II offense.
Tier III sex offenders are required to register for the rest of their lifetime and must report to the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in person every 90-days. In most cases, Tier III offenders are not eligible to file a petition to be removed from the sex offender registry. The only way to have your name removed from the Missouri sex offender list as a Tier III offender is through expungement.
Missouri Sex Offender Tier II
A Tier II sex offender in the state of Missouri is someone who committed a crime where they spent at least a year in prison. They committed a crime like sex trafficking, abusive sexual contact, sex trafficking, sex crime involving a minor, or that occurred after a Tier I offense.
They must be on the registry for ten years and must report to the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in person twice a year: in their birth month and six months after that. Tier II offenders can file a petition for removal from the registry in the county’s circuit court division, where registration was required after 25 years if the clean record requirements for removal are met.
Missouri Sex Offender Tier I
Tier I sex offenders in Missouri are those convicted of crimes like indecent exposure and sexual misconduct. According to HCS HB 999, although they must report to the Chief Law Enforcement Official in person in their birth month, Tier I offenders are no longer included on the public list. For ten years, they can be found on a separate registry that is only accessible to law enforcement agencies. After five years with a clean record, they may file a petition for removal from the list in the circuit court division in the county where registration was required.
An attorney for MO sex offenders can more thoroughly explain the updated regulations.
Hiring a Sexual Offender Missouri Attorney
With such serious charges, hiring a certified sexual offender Missouri lawyer is a crucial step in your legal defense. Attempting to defend yourself is risky, and most overworked public defenders will strike a plea bargain. Although pleading guilty may be the best option in some cases, it does mean you will be sentenced, even if you are not guilty.
The prospective repercussions are alarming, but a legal representative will listen to the charges, hear your side of the story, identify your best line of defense, and represent you in court. Learn more about our firm, and let us prepare your case.
