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In Crawford County, there are approximately 85 registered sex offenders, and we want you to know where they reside so that you avoid those houses when trick-or-treating.

“We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website: www.crawfordcountysheriffohio.com, to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living,” says Sheriff Scott Kent.

Citizens are encouraged to check any addresses where they or their family spends time. The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives.

You will also find many other beneficial tools such as the ability to sign up for free automatic email notifications informing you if an offender moves within a specified radius of any address you register.

“If you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, but will be in a different neighborhood, register that address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. You can register any and all addresses where your children spend time; for example: friends’, grandparents’, or babysitters’ addresses,” says Kent.

The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the Sheriff’s Office.

“The benefit of registering for this free confidential e-mail alert service is that it allows us to monitor important addresses for you, thereby keeping you up-to- date of newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check important addresses daily or even weekly.”

The website for the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office is www.crawfordcountysheriffohio.com. Citizens should click on the link “Search for Offenders, in your area,” and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood offenders. They may click “register for email alerts” to sign up to receive free e-mail alerts about nearby offenders.

Sheriff Scott Kent encourages everyone to have a fun and safe Halloween. Knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders reside in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable Halloween activities.

For further information, please call the SORN Officer Eric Johns at Crawford County Sheriff’s Office (419) 562-7906.