Dru Sjodin’s mother leads rally for sex-offender law

07/27/2005

Melissa Lee,
Star Tribune Washington Bureau Correspondent
July 27, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Flanked by TV hosts, legislators and grieving parents, Dru Sjodin’s mother led a rally Tuesday for the passage of legislation that would tighten government regulation of sex offenders.

Linda Walker of Pequot Lakes, Minn., urged Congress to pass the Children’s Safety Act, sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. The bill, scheduled for hearings today in the House Judiciary Committee, would require offenders to register their whereabouts more often and for more time after their prison release so authorities can keep closer tabs on them.

“Predators must be held responsible,” Walker said. “It is the only acceptable course of action.”

Sjodin, a 22-year-old University of North Dakota student, was kidnapped in November 2003 from the parking lot of a Grand Forks mall. Her body was found five months later. Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., a registered sex offender from Minnesota, is awaiting trial in the killing.

Children’s safety rallyChip SomodevillaGetty Images"I can’t stand the pain to listen to any more stories of assaults,” Walker said after the rally. “I cannot say how important this is.”

John Walsh, host of “America’s Most Wanted,” and Nancy Grace of “Court TV” were hosts of the rally.

Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn., a cosponsor of the bill, was present, in addition to other parents whose children have been kidnapped or assaulted, including Minnesota child advocate Patty Wetterling, whose son Jacob was abducted in 1989 and has never been found. Wetterling, a DFLer, and Kennedy are both seeking Mark Dayton’s Minnesota Senate seat.

In an interview, Kennedy said he hopes the bill will become law by the end of the year. “Every parent cares about their child and wants to make sure that society is nurturing and protecting them, not seeking to do them harm,” he said. “People ought to know if there’s a child molester in their community.”

Under the proposed law, offenders would have to verify their address and job status twice a year, in person, at an office designated by the state. Current law only requires them to report changes in address or employment and does not require in-person registration.

Further, felony offenders would be required to register for life; misdemeanor offenders would have to register for 20 years. Presently, offenders must register for 10 years.

The bill also includes a section called “Dru’s Law,” sponsored by Kennedy and others, that would establish a national registry of sex offenders.

Some say the proposed requirements are too far-reaching.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said the bill would impose unnecessarily harsh punishments on sex offenders.

“If we’re truly serious about protecting our children from acts of sexual exploitation and violence, we have to invest in preventive solutions that really try to get at the root of the problem, not simply rely on after-the-fact criminal penalties that do absolutely nothing to address the real issue at hand,” Conyers said in a statement.

Sensenbrenner estimated that of about 550,000 convicted sex offenders in the country, the whereabouts of at least 100,000 are unknown.

Wetterling called that number unacceptable. “There’s a man out there who steals kids,” she said. “He has mine.”