Sexual Predator Law Upheld - Jacksonville

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:15 am

Sexual Predator Law Upheld

POSTED: 5:35 pm EDT October 24, 2006
UPDATED: 6:21 pm EDT October 24, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A law designed to protect children on their way to and from school was upheld on Tuesday.

A Jacksonville judge ruled that a sexual predator law being challenged by several convicted sexual predators is constitutional.

The city ordinance states convicted sexual predators cannot live within 2,500 feet of anywhere children congregate, including school bus stops. The city ordinance is tougher than the state's sexual predator law that only requires predators and offenders to live 1,000 feet from children.

Convicted sexual predator Eddie Hairston was one of the six men who filed motions claiming the ordinance was unconstitutional. He told Channel 4 he has been reformed.

"Right now, I'm just trying to work and keep my head up high," Hairston said. "People don't think you have feelings just because you made a mistake or went out and did something that was wrong."

In June, Hairston was arrested for breaking a city ordinance.

He was the first of the six defendants to get his ruling.

"(The judge) ruled that the ordinance was OK. It passed all of the challenges made, and it is constitutional," said Ernest Mueller of the Office of General Counsel.

"The City Council is concerned about protecting children, and about limiting access to children," said Collette Cunningham of the Office of General Counsel.

However, Hairston said if a predator wants to strike again, access would not be an issue.

"It doesn't matter how far you live away from children or anyone you might victimize later on because if you're going to have that in your mind to do it, you're going to find a way to do it," Hairston said.

Hairston said he was planning to make an appeal.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/10149240/detail.html