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Santa Clarita Valley Sex Offenders: A Look At Megan’s Law

State records show a sex offender who was a Santa Clarita resident released in January after serving time for a parole violation is now living in Lancaster. 


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William Greggory Babb, 54, is now registered to live on the 43100 block of Sierra Highway, according to the Megan’s Law website.

175 registered sex offenders living in the Santa Clarita Valley

There are 175 registered sex offenders living in the Santa Clarita Valley, who are classified as one of three levels, according to Detective Dave Campbell of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station’s Detective Bureau.

A Megan's Law sex offender registry information

Campbell manages the program locally that tracks sex offenders, based on a system created by the state, he said. Local law enforcement officers, such as Campbell check at least twice a year on the addresses that offenders are required to submit.

“The California state Department of Justice analyzes the conviction and basically determines one of three categories,” Campbell said.

The lowest level offenders register with officials through a site that law enforcement officers can track, but not the general public. The second level of sex offenders have their zip codes disclosed on Megan’s Law, and the offenders deemed the highest risk are listed with their specific addresses.

Related article: Sheriff’s Department Releases Updated Megan’s Law Numbers For Sex Offenders

Offenders, such as Babb, who fall into the latter category, must register with local law enforcement within five days of any move.

The 175 for the Santa Clarita Valley include those who do not have to register their address per state law, Campbell said. That includes the entire 600 square mile area that Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies patrol. Based of the most recent figures available, 99 of those registrants have their address and/or zip code available online.

As a comparison to surrounding cities, Sylmar has 111 registrants, 91 of which are considered “full address” registrants. Lancaster has 369 registrants, 309 of whom are considered full address registrants. Palmdale has 174 registrants, 141 of whom are considered full address.

Typically, a Parole Division officer will work with an offender to try and find a place, Campbell said.

While there used to be regulations in effect that parolees have to live outside of a certain range from parks and schools, a judge stayed those rules several years ago, lifting most restrictions.

The sex offenders listed on Megan’s Law are given a score for their risk of re-offending, which is based on a system listed here. There’s also an explanation behind the practices used in the state’s “Containment Model” here.

Campbell stressed the importance of parents being aware of which adults are involved in their children’s lives, noting that most sex crimes are a result of a process criminal investigators refer to as “grooming.”

This is when a sex offender befriends the child and slowly gains the child’s trust before perpetrating the crime.

“That’s the lion’s share of all registered sex offenders,” Campbell said, “it’s very rare that we have kids snatched off the street — when it does happen it usually makes the national media.”

He recommended that parents check the Megan’s Law website as a resource for finding out if a convicted child molester is living in their neighborhood.

Parents’ involvement in their child’s life is imperative,” he said.

A Santa Clarita Valley map of sex offenders registered on the Megan’s Law website

Below, KHTS AM-1220 compiled a list based on registrants with Megan’s Law. The entries are current as of 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10.

Here is a frequently asked questions document about sex offenders and their crimes.

California – Sex Offenders Website

The state offers a caution on its website: Extreme care must be taken in the use of information because mistaken identification may occur when relying solely upon name, age and address to identify individuals. The information on this web site is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability.:

 


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Santa Clarita Valley Sex Offenders: A Look At Megan’s Law

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.