Four teams made up of agents from state parole and the Department of Justice went door to door Monday. Together, they checked up on nearly 80 registered sex offenders living in Fresno and Clovis.
There are 92,000 registered sex offenders in California. Nearly 18-hundred reside in Fresno County alone.
Those on parole are already monitored by GPS devices. But, on Halloween, parolees have to abide by certain guidelines. They have a 5 o'clock curfew. They can't have their front porch light on. And they're not allowed to have anything related to Halloween, or answer the door to anyone, but law enforcement.
One man, on parole for spousal rape, was taken into custody for having a bag of candy and a pumpkin inside his house.
Eric Renshaw said, "Since it's Halloween and what we're doing is zero tolerance, so we'll just clean it up tomorrow."
But, agents aren't just searching for Halloween-related offenses. They look for anything illegal.
One man they found is on parole for indecent exposure. He was arrested for having a box cutter inside his truck. "I didn't really think anything of it. I mean, I'm not, I'm not out to hurt anybody, so."
Parents Action News spoke to say they appreciate law enforcement's efforts.
Jeanette Owen said, "They should, they should do it in all parts of the neighborhood."
Jenny Lopez said, "I guess it's a good thing, letting people know what's going on."
Still, though, parents are encouraged to do some of the work themselves. Sex offenders in the state of California are only on parole for three to five years. Beyond that, they can still be out and serve candy to children on Halloween.
