Accessing and Searching the Ohio Sex Offender Registry

The federal government of the United States has enforced three statutes that govern the creation and subsequent registration of sex offenders and notification. These include the Jacob Wetterling Act, the Pam Lyncher Act, and Megan’s Law. The Jacob Wetterling Act, implemented in 1994, calls for the creation of a sex offender registry. Megan’s Law, implemented 1996, calls for the states to collect sex offender information and make it available for public reference. The Pam Lyncher Act, effective since 1996, calls for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to set up a national sex offender database.

Categories of Sex Offenders in Ohio

The Ohio sex offender registry lists three categories of sex offenders. These include a sex predator, a sexually oriented predator and habitual sex offender. A sex predator is one who is found guilty of a sex crime by the court and shows a propensity to commit the offense again. These predators in the state are required to undergo lifetime registration and the community has to be notified of the presence of such an offender.

A sexually oriented offender is one who has been charged with such an offense and needs to register for a period of 10 years and verify their residential address with the local sheriff once a year.

A habitual sex offender is one who has been convicted presently and also has a history of past conviction for sex crimes. A habitual sex offender has to register for a span of 20 years and has to update the local sheriff about his whereabouts once a year.

The different categories of sex offenders in the state can be divided into different levels or tiers.  The sexually oriented offender is placed under Tier 1 offender, the habitual sexual offender under Tier 2 and the sexual predators fall in the category of Tier 3 sex offenders.

Information on a Tier 1 sex offender is not available to the public. Information about a Tier 2 sex offender and a Tier 3 sex offender are made available to certain people within a specific area. These include the principal or head teacher of a school, superintendent of a school board, chief administrative officer of a higher education institute, and a day care center administrator.

Access Ohio Sex Offender Registry

The Ohio sex offender registry can be accessed from Ohio’s Electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification http://www.esorn.ag.state.oh.us/Secured/p1.aspx. You can receive automated messages from the website by signing up for the same at http://ohio.esorn.net/registeroh.php.

You need to fill out the fields marked in the online form and click on the “Submit” option. For additional information, send an email to notifications@icrimewatch.net. As soon as an offender moves into your neighborhood, near a school, a daycare facility or even your work place you will be immediately notified of their presence.

If you have any information about any sex offender who has just moved to your neighborhood, you can tip off the concerned authorities about him or her. The database is linked to the office of the county sheriff in all 88 counties of Ohio and the records section of the 32 correctional facilities of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections which are spread across different parts of the state.

Information collected by law enforcement agencies from the offenders at the time of registration includes fingerprint reports, criminal history, photograph, personal details, DNA reports and vehicle registration information. Any offender who moves into the state has to register with the law enforcement agencies within three days of entering the state or within 3 days of changing addresses.

Search Ohio Sex Offender Registry

Search the Ohio sex offender registry by filling out the online form available at http://www.esorn.ag.state.oh.us/Secured/p21_2.aspx. You need details like the first and last name of the offender along with the name of the county, the zip code or the school district. Then click on the “Search” option.

Access a virtual map on the same webpage. This allows you to see the sex offenders based in and around your neighborhood. All you need to furnish is the name of the street on which you live along with the name of the city and the zip code. You can then click on the “View Map” option to locate sex offenders easily.

For any other additional information, contact the Sheriff of your respective county. The contact numbers of the sheriffs along with their websites can be viewed at http://www.esorn.ag.state.oh.us/Secured/p5.aspx

Sex Offender Rules

As per Ohio Revised Code 2950.034, a registered sex offender is not permitted to live within 1000 feet of a daycare center, a school or a preschool as children are at a greater risk. The Ohio General Assembly has given the power to the county prosecutors to evict sex offenders who do not comply to the above mentioned rule.

There are penalties for noncompliance to any of the sex offender registration norms in the state.  If the sexual offense falls in the category of a misdemeanor, then not registering with the authorities will lead to the imposition of another misdemeanor charge. Failure to register in case of a felony will consequently lead to the imposition of a felony.