Sex Offender Registry laws in Weld County and Adams County, Colorado, and statewide Sex Crime laws are some of the most extreme in all of the U.S. The penalties and sentences which people convicted of a sexual crimes must bear can be life altering. The O’Malley Law Office sex offender attorneys understand that defendants facing Sex Crimes are often over charged. The effect in which the Weld County Sex Offender Registry can have on a person’s life can be complicated. Below, our Colorado Sex Offender Registry attorneys will discuss registration laws and how we can best help you return to a normal life.
Why Do People Register on the Weld County, Colorado Sex Offender Registry?
Many people in Weld County, Colorado, believe that you must commit a felony Sex Crime to be required to Register as a Sex Offender. However, this is not the case. There are both misdemeanor and felony Sex Crimes which require you to register on the Colorado Sex Offender Registry.
The misdemeanor offenses that require registration are: Public Indecency, Indecent Exposure, and Unlawful Sexual Contact. It is important to note that Indecent Exposure and Public Indecency convictions do not always require you to register on the Sex Offender Registration. There are some special circumstances which affect the requirement to register for these two crimes. In most cases, you will be required to register as a Sex Offender if the act that you are convicted of is was done for sexual gratification.
What are the Consequences of Registering as a Sex Offender in Weld County?
There are many immediate and long-term consequences of being required to register as a Sex Offender in Weld County. A person’s personal information will be on the registry for years in most cases, and sometimes for life. This can have an impact on housing, jobs, schooling and personal life. Having a skilled attorney to help you navigate registration requirements and how to keep current, is an important benefit. Failure to keep your registration up-to-date can result in court sanctions.
In Greeley, Colorado, What Information is Required on the Sex Offender Registry?
When a person is required to register as a Sex Offender in Greeley, there is specific information they must provide to the local police or sheriff’s office in the city or county where they. The information needed includes but is not limited to: the registrant’s name, address, schools attending, instant messaging and chat room identities, registration status, date of birth, car description, car VIN, vehicle license plate address, place of employment, physical description, photograph, and full set of fingerprints. This information is used to update the Colorado Sex Offender Tracking and Registration System (SOTAR) and needs to be updated any time there is change in this information, annual or every 3 months.
How Long Does a Registered Sex Offender Stay on the Registry in Weld County?
Depending on the crime that a person is convicted of, an offender must stay on the registry as defined by Colorado law. They will need to continue to register in Weld County as long as they live there. If they live in a Weld County city, they’ll need to register in that city. Every crime has a specific number of years someone must remain on the registry. For misdemeanor crimes, it can be between 5-10 years and for felony crimes it can be for 10 years to life. Generally speaking, a person’s duty to register begins once they are sentenced to a sex crime, and as long as they are on probation or in prison, they must register. Once they are no longer under the court’s supervision or their case is closed, the statutory registration period begins. For example, if a person is on probation for five years and their crime’s statute says they must register for 10 years, they will register for a total of 15 years.
Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in Greeley, Colorado
Failure to Register as a Sex Offender is either a class 1 misdemeanor or a class 6 felony in Greeley. It is a criminal offense called Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, C.R.S. 18-3-412.5. If the original offense was a felony, then Failure to Register as a Sex Offender is a class 6 felony with penalties of $1,000 to $100,000 in fines, and 1 to 1 ½ years in Colorado State Prison. If the original criminal offense is a misdemeanor and the offender fails to register, then they could be charged with class 1 misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of 364 days in the Weld County Jail, and/or a fine of up to $1,000. The attorneys at the O’Malley Law Office have over 30 years of experience defending sex crimes and will aggressively fight for the best outcome in your case.