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While Marion County kids looked for treats, deputies checked in with hundreds of sex offenders

Around the same time that trick-or-treaters were roaming the streets of Marion County neighborhoods last week, dozens of local law enforcement approached registered sex offenders and predators in person, making sure they stayed away from any Halloween celebrations.

Andres Sanchez, his wife, Monserrat Sanchez, and their three kids hunted for candy Halloween night in Huntington, a community around seven miles east of Ocala.

The family dressed in clashing costumes — his 8-year-old daughter, a character from Disney’s “Zombies,” his 10-year-old son, the ringleader from “The Greatest Showman” and his 13-year-old daughter in a clown outfit — and took home several buckets of candy in their pursuit for sweets.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office announced “Operation Candy Sweep,” an initiative to check in on registered sex offenders Halloween night to make sure they were away from trick-or-treaters and holiday events.

The county has around 210 registered offenders or predators under supervision, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s sexual offender registry.

The neighborhood Sanchez’s family visited seemed safe, said Sanchez, who found police presence was pretty light.

“Law enforcement is really not needed there, as opposed to being more toward downtown Ocala,” he said.

Around 65 law enforcement personnel, including 27 from the Marion County Sheriff's Office and staff from two outside departments, helped with the sweep.

Additional law enforcement also attended community events as a security measure. The sweep doesn’t impact normal operations and is an annual occurrence, said Zachary Moore, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.

Critics of the sweep argue registry initiatives are ineffective and waste law enforcement resources. Registered offenders are unlikely to re-offend, said Brenda Jones, the executive director of the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws, and pose little threat to trick-or-treaters.

“To put it mildly, it’s really more of a PR stunt,” she said.

Similar sweeps are an increasing national trend, Jones said, and by drawing public attention to registered offenders it dehumanizes them.

Sexual recidivism rates range from 5% after three years to 24% after 15 years, according to a 2015 U.S. Department of Justice Report. However, a Criminal Justice Review study this year argued that accurately estimating long-term recidivism is difficult, and found methodologies for research are flawed after decades of pressure to study it from law enforcement.

For families like Sanchez, though, the presence of law enforcement means a lot. Montserrat Sanchez reposted Ocala Police Department’s list of sexual offenders and predators in the city on Facebook. They have no plans on moving anywhere else in Florida, Andres Sanchez said.

“We love it up there, it’s beautiful,” he said.
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This is a breaking news story. Check back for further developments. Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org

Aiden is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.