SUMTER COUNTY, SC - We got an e-mail from a Sumter County mother upset that her children had to walk past the homes of three convicted sex offenders to get to their school bus stop.
After our story aired, a pending House bill expanded to require schools to notify parents if sex offenders live near their children's bus stops. The bill is also aimed at keeping sex offenders away from other places where kids gather - like schools and playgrounds. Now, a convicted sex offender is talking about why he says the bill is not fair.
"I am a registered sex offender. I did commit a crime over 10 years ago."
Back then, he was in his early 20's. And John, whose identity we've agreed to conceal, admits he did something pretty stupid. "I allowed a minor into my house and watched an adult video."
Showing an adult video to a minor landed John in prison for two years. When he got out, John got married. Now, he has a five-year-old daughter. "She's going to have to pay for a mistake her father did."
She'll pay, he fears, if a bill making its way through the State House passes. If it does, South Carolina sex offenders won't be able to live within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and playgrounds.
