Arrest of ‘most wanted’ sex offender raises policy questions

LANSING — The arrest of a man convicted of sex crimes involving children — a man on the Michigan State Police’s most-wanted fugitives list for failing to register as a sex offender in 2007 — has given rise to questions about how well the state and law enforcement are monitoring and searching for wanted sex offenders.

Convicted sex offender fugitive Adrian Hill from a photo on his Facebook pag

Michigan State Police arrested Adrian Hill Wednesday night in Jackson, police say. He was picked up on two warrants. The first was a warrant issued in October of 2009 for failing to verify or register his address as a sex offender. The second was a March 26, 2010 bench warrant for failing to appear in court on a traffic violation. Police say the violation was operating a vehicle without a driver’s license.

Cops say they sought multiple warrants in October for Hill’s multiple failures to register.

Hill, 37, made little effort to conceal his identity or location, which were easily uncovered by a Michigan Messenger investigation. The information about Hill was discovered on publicly available websites including Facebook, where Hill maintained a page under his own name, using his actual birth date. In addition, that website indicated that the convicted sex offender was actively involved in a Jackson daycare center and was preparing a large event to feed the homeless at a community center frequented by many of Lansing’s poorest youth. The profile also indicates Hill had been running a non-profit ministry reaching out to support the disabled and their families.

Most chilling of all, Hill is pictured on his Facebook page with a young child in his lap.

Hill’s Facebook account has since been deleted.

Hill successfully completed his probation from his 2005 conviction of accosting a minor for immoral purposes. As a result, he had no restrictions on where he could go, or who he could be around.

Lansing Police say they have been tracking Hill for some time, but that he was “always one step ahead of us.”

Police say his conviction resulted from a sting operation in which he sent an undercover officer whom Hill thought was a minor pornography via the internet.

As part of that conviction, Hill was obligated by law to register his address with the local law enforcement authorities until 2030. He did so between 2005 and 2007, then in 2007 he slipped off the state’s radar. His last verified registered address was in Lansing.

Michigan Messenger turned over the results of its investigation to Lansing Police Capt. Ray Hall, who runs the city of Lansing’s North Precinct. Hall said Hill was one of Michigan’s most-wanted fugitive sex offenders, and his detectives, using Michigan Messenger–provided information, worked with the Michigan State Police to track Hill down and arrest him. Michigan Messenger agreed not to publish this story until Hill was arrested, in order to prevent him from being tipped off and fleeing.

But the case is giving rise to a host of policy issues surrounding Hill’s escape from justice that lasted three years.

The city of Lansing, in August of 2009, accepted a grant of nearly $900,000 from the federal government. That grant, according to a resolution accepting the cash, stipulated the money would be used to pay the salaries of four community police officers, one of whom was to “monitor registered sex offenders in the community.”

Police say there are an estimated 728 sex offenders living in Lansing, with the vast majority following the rules and registering and verifying as required by law. Cops say 46 of those offenders are currently not in compliance. They made estimates because people move in and out of the city or in and out of jail regularly.

“It’s one of the issues I have talked about during budget time,” says Lansing City Councilwoman Carol Wood. “I’ve talked about having enough police on the street. But we don’t have enough to do warrant sweeps. And the fact is the majority of people brought in for warrants are brought in from traffic stops.”

The issue is of particular sensitivity to Wood whose mother, Ruth Hallman, was killed by convicted serial killer and sex offender Matthew Macon in 2007. Hallman was one of several women Macon confessed to murdering that summer. Wood points out that Macon had violated the terms of his parole, including failing to register as a sex offender by providing his address to law enforcement officials, not living in the location where he was registered and for testing positive for the presence of drugs in a urine screen. Those violations all occurred 30 days before Hallman offered Macon a glass of water and was subsequently beaten to death with a hammer.

“That person could have been arrested on three separate occasions,” says Wood. “But he was not picked up.”

Wood says as chair of the City Council’s public safety committee she will open investigations into how Hill was able to not only elude police for so long, but was able to access a vulnerable place like Lett’s Community Center without setting off alarms.

She said she would like to see the city begin to cross check names on community center applications with the state’s sex offender registry, as well as include a notification in the city’s agreements with people who use the facilities notifying them that convicted sex offenders are prohibited.

“I want to see our community centers utilized,” Wood said, “but the fact is in this day and age we have to look under every rock. We tout the fact that you can allow your kids to be in these places, and we need to make sure it is safe.”

She said adding a quick review of the city’s sex offender list as part of the application process would not add any time or cost onto the process for people to use city facilities.

But Hall of the Lansing Police Department said there are concerns about using the sex offender registry in that way.

“Just because they are on the list doesn’t necessarily mean they are a danger,” said Hall. He noted that not all sex offenders on the list have restrictions preventing them from having contact with children, but the only way to identify those people would be through a background check by police. “The sex offender list does not do that for you. It’s not a helpful tool in weeding out the so-called Romeo and Juliet effect.”

Statutory rape cases involving young people just above and just below the age of consent in consensual sexual relationships — say, an 18 year old boyfriend and a 15 year old girlfriend — are referred to as “Romeo and Juliet” cases. Michigan Messenger has reported in a series of articles about the negative impact of listing such offenders on the sex offenders registry — including the resulting run-ins with law enforcement.

Hall says the case of a truly dangerous defendant — one who actually has been convicted of predatory crimes with children, as opposed to someone convicted of entirely consensual activity — illustrates the concerns about having a list that combines genuine predators with those who are no danger to society. “What [this situation] does is expose the limitations of the sex offender list,” he said. “It’s not a perfect tool in determining the level of risk they might pose.”

When asked if this case should lead to policy reforms in the city, Hall responded, “I will leave that up to the administration, politicians and bureaucrats.”

Hall said he would support “more information” being provided about the people on the list, but recognizes there are some potential privacy concerns that would bring up.

Murdock Jemerson, Lansing’s director of Parks and Recreation, said there is no need for a policy review in the city. He said the department became aware of Hill’s history from calls from concerned citizens, and as a result, Hill would not have been allowed to use the Lett’s Community Center.

“First of all the community centers are open to the public. We do not stand at the door and ask people to submit to a background check,” Murdock said. “The policy is there for our public parks and community centers. All I am asking is for the community to continue to do what it did in this case in being vigilant and working with us to keep the community centers and parks safe. We have to rely on the community and law enforcement to keep the parks and community centers safe and open to the public.”

Jemerson also emphasized that Hill never filled out the necessary paperwork to hold his event at the community center. Police provided the Michigan Messenger information to the Parks Department in order to prevent Hill from doing so.

“I am disappointed [in Jemerson's response],” said Wood. “I know that Murdock has worked long and hard to make sure our parks are safe, but it’s just as important to make sure that the people who are using our facilities are safe; that we have a safe community.”

While she agreed that parks officials could not stand at the door and do background checks on people visiting community centers and parks, she said creating a policy to prevent “child predators” from being at those places was possible.

“It’s like a speed limit sign. We know we are not going to stop all speeders, but it gives a tool and the ability to enforce something,” Wood said, creating a comparison with a policy to prevent sex offenders from using city facilities.

Wood also took issue with Jemerson’s claim that relying on the community was working.

“The idea of any public official putting the onus on the public is the same as asking us to form our own militia,” says Wood. “Yes, we have watchful people in the community, but for us to put the onus on the public to track down this type of person, it creates the mentality of why do we have departments? Why do we have a government that’s supposed to be out there protecting us?”