By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

A potential Halloween horror story awaits unsuspecting Maine children.

Picture this: A child – 9 years old and outfitted as Cinderella – joyfully knocks on a door and shouts, “Trick or treat!”

On the other side of that door is a registered high-risk sex offender. Unless that offender’s probation or parole conditions specifically prohibit him from providing a treat, there’s an opportunity for instant contact.

In a half-dozen states, that wouldn’t happen.

New Jersey, for instance, is instructing paroled sex criminals not to answer their doors if trick-or-treaters come calling. New York’s Westchester County, The New York Times reports, is ordering high-risk sex offenders to attend a four-hour educational program on Halloween night.

In Maine, though, there’s no blanket order that would keep sex offenders from having contact with treat-seeking children.

“There are no limits except via probation,” said Donna Cote, supervisor of Maine’s Sex Offender Registry.

Often, those probation orders instruct sex offenders to avoid contact with children; some might make it a violation to even walk past a schoolyard or playground.

But when a child comes to an offender’s door, it can create a situation unanticipated by standing orders.

Police and other public safety officials urge parents to accompany their children on Halloween rounds, and that’s one way of minimizing potential problems.

Another is to know if there are sex offenders in the neighborhood, something that local police can let parents know if they call or visit a police station.

Parents also can learn about potential sex offenders in their communities by visiting Maine’s Sex Offender Registry Web site. There, people can search for offenders by name, by city or town and by street.

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