By Thad Ayers
Muskogee Phoenix
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Removing names from Oklahoma’s Sex Offender Registry has been a slow process since the state’s Supreme Court ruled the application of current laws as unconstitutional in June.
Oklahoma’s Department of Corrections was told it could not make convicted sex offenders continue registration as legislative amendments change, according to the June 25 ruling.
About 300 names have been removed, bringing the count of registered sex offenders shown on the DOC’s website down to about 7,400.
A posting on DOC’s home page states DOC is “diligently reviewing all registrants” to comply with the decision and will remove people without a court order. The posting also states registrants should allow “reasonable time for this review” because of the number of registered sex offenders.
That delay has law enforcement officers who ensure convicted offenders remain compliant fielding questions which they may not be able to answer.
“Every one of them coming in that has an old crime wants to know if they’re able to come off the list,” said Muskogee County Deputy Sheriff Roy Banks. “I can’t predict the Department of Corrections, because they’re hard to predict.”
Sixteen convicted offenders have been removed from the registry on the DOC’s website in Muskogee, McIntosh, Cherokee and Wagoner counties, records show.
Four have been removed from Muskogee County. Banks said another man who lives south of the city has brought him an attorney’s letter stating he should be removed from the registry.
That man, who has convictions in the county in 1993 and 1997, declined to comment on his situation.
Banks said some have contacted him saying they also shouldn’t have to renew their driver’s licenses annually. Convicted offenders have to renew their driver’s licenses every year at the same price as those who renew every four.
They also have a designation on their license that shows them as a registered sex offender.
“Some say they don’t think that’s right they should pay that extra money,” Banks said.
McIntosh County has 72 sex offenders registered, and four have come off the list, according to DOC.
“It’s so time-consuming to go through each individual case,” said McIntosh County Sheriff’s Detective Tonya French. “There’s a lot of cases to go through, but it will take awhile.”
Part of the issue is that officials have to look into the past and apply the old laws to the convicted offenders, said Rebecca Walkup, president of Oklahoma Reform Sex Offender Laws, an advocacy group that works for sex offenders’ rights.
Walkup said those she’s spoken with have called the law’s change a relief, but added it affects more than just the person whose name is off the registry.
“It’s going to affect spouses, families and children,” she said. “I would really stress the great benefit this would have to the innocent family members as well. These people want to move on with their lives.”