Level 3 sex offender runs shop frequented by youth/ MA
Level 3 sex offender runs shop frequented by youth By Patrick Brodrick Friday, January 26, 2007 - Updated: 04:05 PM EST
CLINTON — For juvenile boys, D&S Sales in Clinton, a store that specializes in knives, swords, pellet guns, lava lamps and yo-yos, is a dream come true; however, the High Street business, which is marked by a small, fluorescent banner, could be considered a parent’s worst nightmare.
Stephen Lemons, who manages D&S Sales on High Street for his nephew, is a registered Level 3 sex offender.
According to both the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board and The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sexual Offenders and Predators Registry, Stephen Blaine Lemons, 52, of 16 Pierce Place in Clinton, was convicted on Dec. 11, 2001, in Florida for lewdly fondling or assaulting, committing or simulating sexual acts on or in the presence of a child under 16 in a lewd, lascivious or indecent manner. The Florida registry also lists Lemons’ victim as being a male minor.
Clinton Police Chief Mark Laverdure said Lemons has registered as a sex offender with his department and officers are aware of Lemons’ previous record and are closely monitoring the situation. Just because Lemons is a registered offender, Laverdure said, he is not breaking the law by opening a business in town.
“If he is listed as a Level 3 offender that means there is a strong likelihood that he is going to reoffend,” Laverdure said. “Is this something that parents should be aware of? Absolutely. Right now there are no laws he is breaking that we can see. It is legal for him to open a business; the law states that he is required to register as an offender with us and he has done that.”
Lemons, however, disputes any allegations that he is a sexual offender and said he has hired a lawyer to have the Level 3 status removed from the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry.
According to Lemons, the lewd and lascivious charges in Florida stems from an assault at the store he was running at the time. Lemons said the assault happened after he found a 15-year-old boy molesting a girl in his store.
“I threw him up against the wall and told him I was going to tear his penis off,” Lemons said. “I took the law into my own hands. When I went to register with the SORB in Massachusetts the man conducting the hearing asked me if I would do it again and I told him that I would because I was protecting a young girl. There was never a sexual assault. My lawyer is working right now to have that Level 3 status removed from the SORB.”
Kids buying knives
Recently, Clinton Middle School Principal Michael Vetros suspended two seventh-graders after they were found brandishing knives at the school. After speaking with the two students and their parents, police determined that the blades were purchased at D&S Sales. Vetros said he also received a call from another parent that found a knife disguised as a pen in her son’s pants pocket that was also purchased from Lemons.
“I’m appalled,” a visibly shaken Vetros said on Thursday; outside his office, pinned to a bulletin board is a sex-offender flyer with Lemons’ picture and information on it that had just been dropped off by Clinton Police. “What young boy isn’t attracted to and wouldn’t want to go into a store that sells knives and swords? I’m extremely concerned about this. Parents need to know that someone is selling knives to their kids, but they also need to know who is selling knives to their kids.”
The situation has also trapped Vetros in a moral dilemma. Legally, he cannot tell students not to go into the store; however, he can advise them against it. Vetros said he would also like to inform parents of the situation through the ConnectEd phone system, which would send a message to the home of every middle school student, but he has to worry about the legal repercussions.
“Morally, I think I have a right to tell parents that it has been brought to my attention that the gentleman running this store is a Level 3 sex offender, but legally I don’t know where I stand,” Vetros said. “I’m here to protect these kids, but that is getting harder and harder as things keep progressing.”
If the Level 3 status is accurate, it is startling to think about the several cases of young kids purchasing knives from Lemons and bringing them to school, even more frightening is at least one local business owner near D&S Sales said the only customers frequenting the store are pre- and young teens.
Cory Kruger, owner of Good Faith Tattooing on High Street, located almost directly across from D&S Sales, said it is disturbing that someone registered as a sex offender is operating a shop that caters to young kids.
“There are about five or six kids hanging out in there all the time,” Kruger said. “It’s kind of creepy that a sex offender would open a business that’s selling things that are obviously going to attract young boys.”
Kruger’s wife, Natalie Silverthorne, who schedules appointments at Good Faith, said she’s never seen an adult other then Lemons in the store.
“There are kids going in and out of there all day long, and I’ve never seen a kid with their parents going in there,” Silverthorne said.
Clinton Police have spoken with Lemons about selling knives to young kids and said he has agreed to stop selling blades to anyone under 15. When Lemons first opened on High Street, he did have some illegal merchandise, such as glass pipes and double-edged knives, for sale but when police explained the items were illegal he immediately removed them from his shelves.
Other problems
This isn’t the first time Lemons has had dalliances with the law for selling illegal merchandise. According to police, Lemons was arrested and charged with 40 counts of possession of a dangerous weapon after he was caught trying to sell double-edge knives, tasers and brass knuckles at The Lancaster Flea Market.
Lemons said his lawyer is also scheduled to have the 40 charges of possession of a dangerous weapon thrown out on Tuesday. Lemons said he was selling some illegal merchandise at his table at the flea market, but when he was told to remove the illegal merchandise he did.
“All of this can be explained,” Lemons said. “I’ve been honest with all of my customers and the police. If this gets into the paper it could destroy me and I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Representatives at The Lancaster Flea Market could not be reached for comment before this story was posted.
Laverdure said police are closely monitoring what and who Lemons is selling his merchandise to and reiterates that parents need to be aware of the situation.
“I can’t stress this enough,” Laverdure said. “If he is listed as a Level 3 sex offender that means there is a high likelihood that he will reoffend and I think people need to be aware of that.”
(Patrick Brodrick can be reached at pbrodric@cnc.com or at 978-365-8040)
http://www.townonline.com/homepage/8998977303065133053
Level 3 sex offender runs shop frequented by youth By Patrick Brodrick Friday, January 26, 2007 - Updated: 04:05 PM EST
CLINTON — For juvenile boys, D&S Sales in Clinton, a store that specializes in knives, swords, pellet guns, lava lamps and yo-yos, is a dream come true; however, the High Street business, which is marked by a small, fluorescent banner, could be considered a parent’s worst nightmare.
Stephen Lemons, who manages D&S Sales on High Street for his nephew, is a registered Level 3 sex offender.
According to both the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board and The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sexual Offenders and Predators Registry, Stephen Blaine Lemons, 52, of 16 Pierce Place in Clinton, was convicted on Dec. 11, 2001, in Florida for lewdly fondling or assaulting, committing or simulating sexual acts on or in the presence of a child under 16 in a lewd, lascivious or indecent manner. The Florida registry also lists Lemons’ victim as being a male minor.
Clinton Police Chief Mark Laverdure said Lemons has registered as a sex offender with his department and officers are aware of Lemons’ previous record and are closely monitoring the situation. Just because Lemons is a registered offender, Laverdure said, he is not breaking the law by opening a business in town.
“If he is listed as a Level 3 offender that means there is a strong likelihood that he is going to reoffend,” Laverdure said. “Is this something that parents should be aware of? Absolutely. Right now there are no laws he is breaking that we can see. It is legal for him to open a business; the law states that he is required to register as an offender with us and he has done that.”
Lemons, however, disputes any allegations that he is a sexual offender and said he has hired a lawyer to have the Level 3 status removed from the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry.
According to Lemons, the lewd and lascivious charges in Florida stems from an assault at the store he was running at the time. Lemons said the assault happened after he found a 15-year-old boy molesting a girl in his store.
“I threw him up against the wall and told him I was going to tear his penis off,” Lemons said. “I took the law into my own hands. When I went to register with the SORB in Massachusetts the man conducting the hearing asked me if I would do it again and I told him that I would because I was protecting a young girl. There was never a sexual assault. My lawyer is working right now to have that Level 3 status removed from the SORB.”
Kids buying knives
Recently, Clinton Middle School Principal Michael Vetros suspended two seventh-graders after they were found brandishing knives at the school. After speaking with the two students and their parents, police determined that the blades were purchased at D&S Sales. Vetros said he also received a call from another parent that found a knife disguised as a pen in her son’s pants pocket that was also purchased from Lemons.
“I’m appalled,” a visibly shaken Vetros said on Thursday; outside his office, pinned to a bulletin board is a sex-offender flyer with Lemons’ picture and information on it that had just been dropped off by Clinton Police. “What young boy isn’t attracted to and wouldn’t want to go into a store that sells knives and swords? I’m extremely concerned about this. Parents need to know that someone is selling knives to their kids, but they also need to know who is selling knives to their kids.”
The situation has also trapped Vetros in a moral dilemma. Legally, he cannot tell students not to go into the store; however, he can advise them against it. Vetros said he would also like to inform parents of the situation through the ConnectEd phone system, which would send a message to the home of every middle school student, but he has to worry about the legal repercussions.
“Morally, I think I have a right to tell parents that it has been brought to my attention that the gentleman running this store is a Level 3 sex offender, but legally I don’t know where I stand,” Vetros said. “I’m here to protect these kids, but that is getting harder and harder as things keep progressing.”
If the Level 3 status is accurate, it is startling to think about the several cases of young kids purchasing knives from Lemons and bringing them to school, even more frightening is at least one local business owner near D&S Sales said the only customers frequenting the store are pre- and young teens.
Cory Kruger, owner of Good Faith Tattooing on High Street, located almost directly across from D&S Sales, said it is disturbing that someone registered as a sex offender is operating a shop that caters to young kids.
“There are about five or six kids hanging out in there all the time,” Kruger said. “It’s kind of creepy that a sex offender would open a business that’s selling things that are obviously going to attract young boys.”
Kruger’s wife, Natalie Silverthorne, who schedules appointments at Good Faith, said she’s never seen an adult other then Lemons in the store.
“There are kids going in and out of there all day long, and I’ve never seen a kid with their parents going in there,” Silverthorne said.
Clinton Police have spoken with Lemons about selling knives to young kids and said he has agreed to stop selling blades to anyone under 15. When Lemons first opened on High Street, he did have some illegal merchandise, such as glass pipes and double-edged knives, for sale but when police explained the items were illegal he immediately removed them from his shelves.
Other problems
This isn’t the first time Lemons has had dalliances with the law for selling illegal merchandise. According to police, Lemons was arrested and charged with 40 counts of possession of a dangerous weapon after he was caught trying to sell double-edge knives, tasers and brass knuckles at The Lancaster Flea Market.
Lemons said his lawyer is also scheduled to have the 40 charges of possession of a dangerous weapon thrown out on Tuesday. Lemons said he was selling some illegal merchandise at his table at the flea market, but when he was told to remove the illegal merchandise he did.
“All of this can be explained,” Lemons said. “I’ve been honest with all of my customers and the police. If this gets into the paper it could destroy me and I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Representatives at The Lancaster Flea Market could not be reached for comment before this story was posted.
Laverdure said police are closely monitoring what and who Lemons is selling his merchandise to and reiterates that parents need to be aware of the situation.
“I can’t stress this enough,” Laverdure said. “If he is listed as a Level 3 sex offender that means there is a high likelihood that he will reoffend and I think people need to be aware of that.”
(Patrick Brodrick can be reached at pbrodric@cnc.com or at 978-365-8040)
http://www.townonline.com/homepage/8998977303065133053