Deland Eldred Small has served his time. He’s free, released after serving a week in jail after pleading guilty to a single count of unlawful sexual contact.

He should not be harassed. He should not be bothered by over-vigilant residents. And he should not be out of jail.

The 49-year-old Small has moved to Auburn, which he is entitled to do.

What we are having a tough time understanding is how a man, convicted of a sex crime against a child and with a history of similar offenses, is released from custody after just a week.

In 1991, Small was convicted of assault and indecent conduct after he touched a child and exposed himself to the victim. He received 25 days. He also has been convicted of violating privacy for which he received a suspended sentence.

Every sex offender who is released from custody must go through the Adult Sex Offender Assessment Protocol. The system gauges, with a numerical score, the likelihood that a convict will re-offend. Out of a possible score of 10, Small got a nine. Anything above six is considered a high risk.

Small has been adjudicated, found guilty and served his time. He should be allowed to begin the difficult process of rebuilding his life. But we must question a legal system that allows a repeat predator to walk out from behind bars after only a week.

Police don’t want vigilantes roaming the streets. They warn residents not to harass Small, but instead to watch out for suspicious behavior. Perhaps residents should be given a color-coded threat matrix so they can identify how concerned they should be, as well.

The suspicious behavior in this case occurred when Small was released after just seven days.


Get the facts first


Somebody at the Department of Public Safety jumped the gun last week and caused an uproar when the agency advised 132 communities that they could not allow liquor sales on Sunday.

Businesses, warned of negative consequences that would follow selling booze on Sunday, immediately began to take action to protect themselves. Letters were mailed, policies updated, petitions begun.

On Thursday, the Attorney General resolved the matter, overruling the Department of Public Safety’s interpretation of state law. Sunday liquor sales are safe.

In the future, it would be good public policy for government agencies to check with the state’s top lawyer before they issue far-reaching and far-flung legal opinions.

Stores were left scrambling, consumers were left in the dark, and a whole lot of people spent a couple of days chasing their tails over a problem that didn’t really exist.
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