MEXICO — In an effort to make the town safer, the Planning Board worked with Mexico police Chief Roy Hodsdon on Thursday evening to draft a sex offender ordinance that would restrict where sex offenders could reside.

Hodsdon told the Planning Board that the town has no such ordinance.

“Most towns will have an ordinance that states sex offenders can’t live within a certain distance of schools or other public places where kids may be,” Hodsdon said. “Mexico doesn’t have anything like that. When I was appointed chief, I said that one of my goals was to crack down on sex offender violations.”

The board reviewed ordinances from Rumford and South Portland. Both restrict sex offenders from residing in a building up to 750 linear feet from any property comprising a public or private elementary, middle or secondary school, or 750 linear feet from any municipal property where children are the primary users.

Hodsdon clarified for the board that if the town were to institute a sex offender ordinance, anybody who lived in a restricted residence before the ordinance was approved would be grandfathered.

“They have rights, just like any of us,” Hodsdon said. “The ordinances have that caveat so people who have lived there for 10 or 15 years aren’t forced to move.”

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Planning Board member Michael Mann asked Hodsdon why schools don’t post pictures of the convicted sex offenders in places where children can see them.

“Schools should be putting pictures of these offenders where the kids can see them, because they’re the ones we’re trying to protect,” Mann said. “I think that would be better than having kids look through pictures of offenders after something has happened.”

Hodsdon said he was not sure why schools did not post pictures in the open, but he would find out.

Planning Board member Reggie Arsenault said, “Even if the schools don’t post it right out in the open, they should at least have copies available for the teachers and the administration in case they see someone watching the kids.”

Arsenault later asked Hodsdon if the addresses of sex offenders were listed on the sex offender registry.

“I know that the town they live in and the street they live on are posted,” the police chief said.

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“OK, but are their addresses posted on the registry?” Arsenault asked. “I think we have a right to know if someone like that is living near our kids or our grandkids.”

Hodsdon said he wasn’t sure if the exact address is listed on the registry.

“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that sex offenders have a lot of rights, so I’m not sure if the exact address is listed,” Hodsdon said. “I’ll have to call the registry and find out.”

Chairman Dan Casey asked Hodsdon if he could work on finalizing an ordinance draft to put on the June 10 referendum ballot.

“I can definitely get something to you guys before your next meeting,” Hodsdon said. “I just want to make sure we get something that gives us a little more leeway to enforce sex offender laws. With this in place, if someone moves into town in a restricted area, we’ll have the right to tell them they have to move.”

Hodsdon said he has plans to have his officers begin knocking on the doors of sex offenders to “make their presence known.”

“It’s a good way to make sure that they’re still residing where they say they are,” Hodsdon said.

“It’ll be a good way to keep your eye on them,” Planning Board member Mabel Merrill said.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com


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