By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star Editorial Board
Count me as someone who's not impressed with the creative sentence that a Kansas judge levied against a 72-year-old man who pleaded guilty to molesting a child.
If Kansas Judge Ron Svaty thought LeRoy Schad is a danger to children and society, he should have sent him to prison.
If Svaty though Schad was unlikely to reoffend, as an expert testified during a hearing, a prolonged house arrest would suffice.
Forcing Schad to place signs on his home and his car identifying himself as a sex offender puts the man in danger and guarantees perpetual harassment.
There's also the problem of collateral damage. It can't be great for neighborhood property values to have a house posted with a sex offender ID sign.
According to a report by KWCH TV news in Wichita, the incident to which Schad pleaded guilty involved inappropriate touching with a child who was spending the night at Schad's home.
Barb Shelly, editorial board
People need to know so they can take extra precautions with their children. However, if they want to move, forget that. The housing market is bad enough without this insurmountable negative.
Trapped with a pervert...or uninformed, what a choice.