When we talk about Registered Sex Offenders here, they’re usually nonviolent, Romeo and Juliet type of offenders, and how the current system is failing them—but what about the other ways the system is failing?
Ryan Murdock, a father and registered sex offender from a Romeo and Juliet relationship, was powerless to protect his daughter when she was contacted by a child predator because he “hadn’t broken any laws”.
52-year-old Mark Charles, a sex offender who has been investigated on numerous occasions and spent 7 years in prison for pursuing teenage girls, used Facebook Messenger to reach out and try to “go out to have a good time” with Ryan’s 13-year-old daughter. He contacted the girl several times, implying that he knew her parents, and even using a family nickname for her brother in an attempt to meet up with her.
The girl quickly showed Ryan the messages she received, and Ryan was quick to contact the police, but it wouldn’t do any good. Mark Charles hadn’t violated any laws. He had completed his probation, he was allowed to use social media, there was nothing stopping him from talking to minors, and the messages had not taken on a sexual nature.
This is just another way that this outdated system is causing pain and struggle for families everywhere. A family man just trying keep his family safe is placed on the same list, and under the same rules, as the man pursuing his 13-year-old daughter.
A Sex Offender Messaged Their Daughter, But No Law Was Broken