The state prides itself on its detailed and frequently updated sex offender registry. However, it appears not all offenders are making the list in a timely manner.
A former Chesterfield bus driver avoided jail time after being convicted of having sex with a 15-year old middle school boy.
Even though Tracy Allanson isn’t behind bars, she’s still being watched very closely. Allanson joined the expanding list of people on the state’s sex offender registry.
“It’s monitored by the state police,” says Senator Ryan McDougle. McDougle is on the Crime Commission that oversees the registry, which includes those behind bars and offenders set free.
McDougle says it’s updated daily to help you figure out if you or your children have encountered a sexual predator. “We make sure we maintain where they work and live,” says McDougle.
In fact, Allanson was convicted and sentenced last week and her profile is already posted.
However, we found out not all sex offenders are registered promptly.
Maurice Jerralds, a popular cheerleading coach, was found guilty of nearly a dozen sex-related charges involving young girls last month. However, a search on the state’s sex offender registry doesn’t show his name; you would never know.
“In Virginia, the final order happens at sentencing,” says CBS 6 legal analyst, Todd Stone. Stone says even though Jerralds was found guilty, he won’t appear on the list until he’s sentenced in mid-September.
While Jerralds is behind bars until then, Stone says there are some cases in which a sex offender is found guilty and allowed to remain free for months before sentencing, without ever appearing on the registry during that time.
“The chances of those people re-offending are pretty slim and there are bond conditions to keep them in line,” says Stone.
