14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-14 News Investigates: Where sex offenders work

14 News Investigates: Where sex offenders work

Reporter: Stefanie Silvey
New Media Producer: Rachel Beavin

Many people are under the impression that registered sex offenders aren't allowed to work anywhere around children.

Those people would be wrong.

Once an offender is off parole they are for the most part, free to work where ever they want, but who is hiring them?

Keeping track of where a sex offender lives and works is a full time job.

The law enforcement agencies responsible for this task often rely on the offender's honesty to an extent when making sure the registry is accurate.

They also rely on businesses and the public to help keep the registry up to date.

But are businesses and the public checking?

When it comes to sex offenders, it seems everyone has an opinion. 

We monitor where they live, and in some cases where they work.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff Eric Williams says, "There's proposed legislation to keep sex offenders from going on chat lines. Well chat lines are one thing but working side by side with a juvenile is a whole 'nother issue that isn't addressed very well."

In Indiana, once a sex offender is off parole, he or she is basically free to work where ever someone is willing to hire them.

Detective Corporal Tom Wedding from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department says it is not easy for some offenders to find jobs, "Many have reported that they can't find decent employment and many have reported that they have lost work because of their sexual conviction."

Those places willing to hire sex offenders often turn out to be the same places hiring teenagers for their first jobs.

We found more than 30 convicted sex offenders registered as working at fast food and other restaurants across Vanderburgh and surrounding counties.

We also discovered at least seven sex offenders who were still registered as working at area restaurants when they no longer did.

We alerted the law enforcement agencies responsible for keeping tabs on these offenders. Sheriff Williams says bad information could be dangerous, "We want to make sure they are looking at accurate information because that is the same as having no information, maybe worse."

Sheriff Williams also encourages business owners to check the registry.

QWe showed Linda Fink, owner of The Hornet's Nest restaurant in Vanderburgh County that she employed two convicted sex offenders. She says she only knew about one, "Well you brought it to my attention and then I did some research and found out."

The Finks knew they had a convicted child molester working in the back and away from customers as a dishwasher, but they didn't know their other dishwasher was a twice convicted sex offender who raped one victim and sexually battered another.

On the registry he's classified as a sexual predator.

Fink says firing him was tough, "I did feel bad that I had to let him go, because he was a hard worker, but in the same sense I had to think about my other employees because I could have put them possibly at risk."

We found sex offenders registered in a variety of jobs: one DJ's your weddings, one drives a city bus and another builds your backyard fence.

Several can paint your home and several others can fix it up. If it's your yard that needs attention, we found those too. We also found several sex offenders attending local colleges.

Anthony was recently arrested after it was discovered he hadn't registered his job or address properly.

Anthony says the recidivism rate is more likely to increase, if sex offenders aren't given a chance, "Here someone is going home thinking everything is going to be okay, I'm going to be able to work, then reality check 101."

Scott Speicher agrees.

In 1996, Speicher was convicted of grabbing five children and fondling them over their clothes. The youngest victim was five. All five incidents happened in public places.

Speicher now works in one Texas roadhouse.

Speicher says he wishes he could take back what he did, "I made a mistake, bad and I wish I could go back in time and change it, but unfortunately I don't have that key."

Speicher says he was a confused and heavily medicated teenager when the incidents occurred.

Since his release, he's not been in anymore trouble, he's off those medications, has been married for seven years and is the father of a 3-month-old.

He says he's fully aware everyday of the stigma attached to being a sex offender and he understands it, "Yeah. The people on the street are talking all nice and then I walk by and they stop and they move in a different direction."

Speicher says he hopes one day for forgiveness from society and his victims, "I'd tell them I'm sorry that it happened. I wish it never would have and I hope they can forgive me. Not as a sex offender, but as a person who is trying to change his life."

While Indiana's sex offender registry actually lists places of employment, Kentucky and Illinois do not.

McDonald's corporation was sued in 2005 after an Evansville teenager claimed she was harassed and sexually assaulted by a co-worker who was a convicted sex offender. The lawsuit was later resolved and dismissed.

Shortly before our story aired, we received a statement from McDonald's in Princeton stating they terminated an employee of theirs mentioned in our piece.

They say:"It is our company policy not to knowingly hire or employ registered sex offenders. We require employees be in full compliance with local, state and federal laws as well as adhere to our own stringent employment practices.  Upon learning of the information concerning the employee in question, we took action to gather the facts. This employee is no longer employed with my organization. I would never knowingly hire a registered sex offender in my restaurant.   Beyond this information, it would be inappropriate to discuss the specific personnel details of this individual." 

The work opportunity tax credit offers a financial incentive for certain employers to hire convicted felons, which sex offenders fall under that category.  

While Indiana's Sex Offender registry actually lists places of employment, Kentucky and Illinois do not.

Before jumping to conclusions about a specific business, check with them, because an offenders' job status often changes.