WILTON – A Wilton woman has taken it upon herself to post 350 fliers about a convicted rapist who moved to town.

She has also started a petition that urges the town to mandate that notices be posted in public places when sexually violent predators move to town.

Already 300 people have signed on, said Karen Wadsworth.

State law leaves sex offender notification up to the discretion of a town’s police department.

Wilton’s police force currently notifies only people who they think will be affected by the predator. It also runs a program at local elementary schools educating children about protecting themselves from people who try to harm them, including pedophiles.

Wadsworth, as a member of a family affected by sexual assault, wants them to do more.

When Dennis Ayala, 40, a convicted rapist moved to Wilton, it was Wadsworth who notified police that he was living in town. Ayala was eventually arrested this week for failing to register as a sexually violent predator.

Wadsworth said she is infuriated that the Police Department knew Ayala had moved into town and didn’t publicly post it. So she did it herself, placing the 350 fliers around Wilton, Farmington and Chesterville.

Attempts to reach Wilton Police Chief James Harper for comment were unsuccessful; several phone messages Wednesday were not returned.

The Police Department, Wadsworth said, shouldn’t have the power to make decisions that go against what the community deserves to know to protect its children. “We want to know,” Wadsworth said. “And we are asking the town’s police force to let us know.”

She is also asking the town to let it be known that Wilton is not a haven for sexually violent predators. If predators realize they can move to Wilton with little public notice, more will want to move here, she fears.

Janine Winn, executive director for the Sexual Assault Victims Emergency Services based in Farmington, is supportive of Wadsworth’s efforts.

“We as an agency feel community notification needs to happen,” Winn said. “And folks in Wilton are concerned that community notification isn’t happening. We are concerned about this because the people of Wilton are concerned.”

The county sheriff’s department has 26 sex offenders in its registry. Detective David St. Laurent, a special sexual assault investigator, said he makes it a point to let communities know when an offender moves into town through the use of signs, press releases and door-to-door notifications.

The county sheriff’s department also posts on its Web site an offender’s profile including a physical description, the convicted offense, the offender’s current address and a photograph (www.franklincountyso.com), as does the town of Farmington (www.farmington-maine.org).

In Jay, Chief Larry White Sr. has two sexually violent predators registered. He relies on door-to-door visits as well as postings at area businesses frequented by children to notify the public.

“We will do all we can to safeguard our children. We are not going to let someone else become a victim because we are being slack,” he said.

Winn stresses that if a sex offender does move to town, residents should be vigilant but not become vigilantes.

“The safest sex offender is the one we know about. It’s the ones who haven’t been identified to the public that are the real danger,” Winn pointed out.

Wadsworth plans to go door to door with the petition later this week. It will then be turned into the town office.

She hopes to speak with the town manager and selectmen on Oct. 22 about her concerns and that they will act on them.

For Wadsworth, the petition drive is a way of channeling her resentment into something useful. “This is a way for me to put my anger to good use. That’s all I can do is to let the people know who is living in town.”

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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