Politics & Government

Should Elk Grove Sex Offender Be Allowed to Live Near Park?

Convicted child molester says he just wants to take care of his parents, avoid homelessness.

Worried about child safety, Elk Grove city council members passed an ordinance last year barring registered sex offenders from living within 2000 feet of a school or park.

Now the law faces its first major test: A convicted child molester sued the city recently, saying that preventing him from living in his parents' house violates the state constitution.

Michael Escobar, 45, says he needs to live at home to take care of his elderly parents, and because he can't afford to move anywhere else. Their house stands within 2,000 feet of .

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On KCRA Monday, Escobar's ailing mother told a reporter she needs Escobar's help because she "can't do hardly anything anymore."

Escobar's also making an argument brought up in an earlier challenge to California's Jessica's Law: that state and local laws are so strict they leave registered sex offenders with nowhere to live, even though they've already served their jail time.

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Advocates of Elk Grove's sex offender ordinance aren't buying it.

"What gets me is he seems like he has a sense of entitlement," said Constance Conley of Elk Grove Community Connection, the group that proposed the ordinance last fall. "Where is his remorse for what he's done?"

Conley said that while Escobar's parents' situation is unfortunate, it's part of the collateral damage in a necessary effort to protect Elk Grove kids.

"He can challenge all he wants, but he's in for a fight," she told Elk Grove Patch.

Escobar says while he wants to stay in the home, he's not opposed to being monitored by law enforcement. "I want them to keep an eye on us," he told the Elk Grove Citizen.

A temporary court order allows him to stay put while the case proceeds.

Readers, what do you think?


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