Court ruling may cut sex offender list

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Indiana Supreme Court overturned last week a sex offender's conviction for failing to register. The court’s decision could mean that hundreds will be removed from registries across the state.

The 1994 state law requires sex offenders to be listed on an official sex offender registry. Their names, description, addresses and pictures are available online for all to see. The law was later amended to require offenders to register no matter when they were convicted.

But defense attorney Kathleen Sweeney represented a sex offender who wanted his name removed from the registry because he was convicted before the sex offender registry law was passed in 1994. The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that offenders convicted before 1994 should not have to register.

The attorney general issued a statement that reads, "We believe the impact of this decision will be limited to a fairly narrow group of offenders."

But 24-Hour News 8 easily found offenders still listed on the Marion County's web site who were convicted before 1994. Sweeney believes the attorney general should recommend the sheriff's association remove these offenders from every list in the state.

"There are citizens of this state who are on that registry because of conduct that occurred before 1994 and deserve to have the protection of their attorney general," said Sweeney.

But a deputy attorney general said his initial interpretation of the law is that it is up to the offender to petition the court to remove his name.