Florida Sheriff Wants Sex Offenders To Stay Away From Hurricane Irma Shelters
In the onset of the preparation for the possible destruction of Hurricane Irma in Florida, one of the state sheriffs reportedly bars sex offenders from taking refuge in shelters.
On Twitter, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd issued some guidelines regarding the evacuation plans for the Category 5 hurricane that could possibly hit the state over the weekend. One of the things that he mentioned was the banning of sex offenders in every shelter.
In one of his post, Judd stated that sworn law enforcement officers will be present at every shelter to check the IDs of anyone who will choose to evacuate for the upcoming hurricane. However, those who are registered as sex offenders or predators will not be allowed to enter and stay at the shelter premises.
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Judd also said that those with an outstanding warrant will also not be allowed to stay at a shelter. Instead, they will be escorted to the Polk County Jail.
When netizens criticized Judd's decision to ban sex offenders in shelters, the sheriff responded: "We cannot and we will not have innocent children in a shelter with sexual offenders & predators."
In an interview with Fox 13, the sheriff reiterated that his Twitter posts are meant to give a fair warning for those who were issued with warrants since they still have several days to sort out their infractions before they choose to stay in a shelter. Yet he is still firm in his decision not to welcome any sexual offender inside the evacuation center.
"In a time of potential disaster, there needs to be a place that you can run to and absolutely know you're safe," Judd stated. "Do you want your five-year-old daughter sleeping next to a sexual predator?"
Hurricane Irma is currently ransacking the Caribbean, where at least three deaths had been recorded. Weather forecasters believe that there is a chance to see the Category 5 hurricane to land in Florida in the coming days.
