Maribel Slocum has been keeping an even closer eye on her little ones since families in this part of Fresno County discovered plans to turn this neighbor's house into a home for registered sex offenders and other convicts. It's one of two so-called sober living homes in the area being planned by a Houston company called Dunamis.
Slocum said: "Everybody's worried about it. Every time we drive by we just look at the house to see if there's somebody living in there." With one sexual predatos already dropped off at the McCall Home by mistake, and more strangers showing up and leaving abruptly a few nights ago, neighbors asked County Supervisors to pass an emergency ordinance. Concerned Neighbor Barbara Paschal said: "It's an immediate, immediate problem." The supervisors agreed, approving a tougher county law that would keep convicted sex offenders at an even greater distance than state law requires, 3-thousand feet, not 2-thousand feet away from schools and playgrounds.
Supervisor Bob Waterston said: "We're talking about sexual predators, that's what we're trying to prevent from getting closer to these folks. That's all we're trying to do. I think it is an emergency. It's dealing with their children and their lives as we speak." Changes to the existing ordinance also expands safe zones to include childcare centers, libraries and bus stops. A big relief to parents near the proposed McCall halfway house where seven different buses pick up kids everyday.
Parent and attorney Tim Logoluso says call this the first step toward closing a loophole in state law that has allowed the Dunamis plans to get this far. Logolus said: "It was a facility where they could place up to six registered sex offenders at one time which appeared to be a violation of state law, but there was an exception. So we're addressing that issue." As for the future of this home, the CEO of Dunamis told me on the phone he doesn't want to comment just yet. But he did say his company has not yet tried to move any parolees into this neighborhood.
