Who is living in your neighborhood?

We all want our families and loved ones to be safe and aware, and that’s why it is essential to know how to access a sex offenders registry or map. It doesn’t hurt to know who is living in your neighborhood, as it is public information.

The City of Newton’s website and the Jasper County website provide an Iowa Sex Offender Registry link that can be accessed from anywhere.

The Iowa Sex Offender Registry website indicates there are 62 sex offenders living in Jasper County.

There are 31 offenders in Newton, seven in Kellogg, six in Colfax, five in Mingo, three in Monroe, three in Reasnor, two in Baxter, two in Prairie City, one in Laurel, one in Gilman and one in Lynnville.

There have been 60 to 65 registered sex offenders consistently living in Jasper County the last few years, according to Summer Guy, accounting clerk at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. Guy is the adviser of the list at the sheriff’s office, and she ensures that information stays up-to-date.

Offenders convicted on or after July 1, 1995, are subject to registration as a sex offender in the state of Iowa. They are also required to register for as long as 10 years or for life, depending on the offense.

Maps how-to

The two main search options the Iowa Sex Offender website provides is a general search and a map search. The general search is used to check out specific individuals by typing in their last name, first name and zip code.

The second option is a user-friendly map. To find out if there are registered sex offenders living in or near your neighborhood, type your address and pick a mile range. Then pick the results to be a map or a list.

The map will show where the offender’s house is located in relation to your own home and will give the option to click on the offender’s picture for more information.

The list option will be ordered with the nearest offender at the top, and the information available will list their name, address, date of birth, a physical description and a photo.

Additionally, the registry also includes a small description of the offender’s conviction and the tier level of their offense. For example, “lascivious acts with a child on May 4, 2006 in Jasper County, the age of the offender at the time of the incident, and the age and gender of the victim, Tier III.”

Tier levels

The tier level each offender is given is based only on the offense or offenses for which the person is currently registered and are used only to establish how many times each year a registered sex offender is required to report in person to the sheriff’s office to verify registration information.

Tier I offenders are required to verify their information every year, Tier II offenders are required to verify their information every six months and Tier III offenders are required to verify their information every three months.

Unconfirmed whereabouts

If an offender has an address of “unconfirmed whereabouts,” this means law enforcement has confirmed the offender is no longer living at the last verified address, and they have failed to register a new address. Failure to register or comply with the state of Iowa’s laws result in additional charges.

The first conviction for failing to register is an aggravated misdemeanor, the second conviction for failing to comply is a class D felony.

“Registrants convicted of failing to comply with requirements of the state of Iowa are subject to 10 additional years of registration,” according to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry website.

Guy said sex offenders in Jasper County don’t have a specific day of the month they must verify their information, and most of the time there aren’t problems with people coming in when they are supposed to.

“We have unconfirmed whereabouts every now and again, and I know we had one who moved from Iowa and we had to verify that move,” Guy said.

Guy said sex offenders have five business days to change their address if they move out of the county.

“As long as they sign up their new address, then everything is good,” Guy said.

Guy said she can also verify if sex offenders have an expired sentence.

To access more information and for interactive maps, visit, iowasexoffender.com, or call the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at 641-791-7081.

Contact Kayla Langmaid at 641-792-3121 ext. 6513 or klangmaid@newtondailynews.com