Officials will explain federal law, hand out offender photos.

October 24, 2000

Mineral County to host meeting on sex offenders

KEYSER -- Mineral County will hold a statutory public meeting tonight to review federal laws concerning convicted sex offenders and also to reveal the names of any registered sex offenders residing in the county.

"We're required by federal law to hold this one meeting," Mineral County Prosecuting Attorney Lynn Nelson explained Monday. "And then it's my understanding the people will be given a Web site or a phone number to use from then on to update any information."

Nelson said the West Virginia Sex Offenders Registry will host tonight's meeting, and will have handouts with photos of all registered sex offenders in the county.

The first part of the meeting will be spent discussing the federal laws dealing with convicted sex offenders.

Nelson cautions the public that any information obtained during tonight's meeting must be used "responsibly," or the Legislature could possibly reverse itself and no long release such information.

"We can't go out there and get into vigilantism or anything," he said.

The meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. at the Church-McKee Arts Center on the campus of Potomac State College.

The West Virginia State Police, Keyser Police Department and Mineral County Probation Office are also scheduled to participate.

For further information, call Nelson's office at (304) 788-0300 or the Mineral County Probation Office at (304) 788-6720.


Copyright © 2000 Cumberland Times-News, by Liz Beavers.