Augusta Set to Consider Sex Offender Restrictions

Augusta is set to consider a rule that would restrict some sex offenders from living in areas where there are  kids, like schools and parks. The rule would prohibit registered sex offenders who have committed acts against children under the age of 14 from living within 750 feet of public and private schools and any municipal property, including parks, where children tend to gather.

The rules would apply only to sex offenders who move after the ordinance is adopted. So, no one would be forced to move.  Augusta has 134 registered sex offenders, making it the community with the highest percentage of sex offenders in its population of any municipality in Maine.

Augusta is second only to Portland in the total number of sex offender residents. Part of that is when they are released from prison, they often have conditions placed on their release requiring them to report to probation officers or for counseling. Many of those services are found in Augusta.