Registered Sex Offender Tried to Coach T-Ball

Anthony Littleton Cannon, 30, is a registered sex offender in Gulfport, Mississippi. This spring, he volunteered to help coach a T-ball team of children, ages 4 to 6 years old. Cannon is registered in accordance with the law, but failed to give written notice to the organization.

Cannon’s step-son plays on the team and someone at the ball park recognized him as a registered sex offender on opening day, March 29th. Cannon had volunteered to help coach the Yankees, a team within the Gulfport Youth Sports Association.

The association President, Ricky Dombrowski, logged onto the sex offender website and located Cannon after he had been made aware. He said, “…there he was. If we had known about his conviction, we wouldn’t have allowed him to volunteer.”

This experience has prompted the association to now require criminal background checks on all coaches, assistants and volunteers and will charge a $6 fee for doing so.

Cannon was convicted on three counts of sexual assault involving a teenage girl when he was 20-years-old. This occurred in Denton County, Texas in 1998. State law does require registered sex offenders who want to do volunteer work to notify the organization in writing.

Sheriff Melvin Brisolara and Dombrowski said they have no reason to believe Cannon had any inappropriate contact with the children. Dombrowski said, “Had we known, I think we would have allowed him to come to the park to watch (the child) play, but we would not have allowed him to be involved with anything else.”

Cannon was arrested for failing to give written notice of his previous charges on April 16, 2008, and he was held at the Harrison County jail on a $25,000 bond.

Volunteer Firefighters with Criminal Backgrounds Not Welcome in Parker County, Texas

Steve Anderson used to be a volunteer firefighter in Reno, Texas until a background check uncovered a felony conviction of burglary of a habitation, which occurred over 20 years ago. Anderson had to turn in his gear and quit when told by his chief at the Reno Volunteer Fire Department that they could no longer contract with volunteers who had been convicted of felonies or misdemeanors.

Parker County officials cited liability and a standardization of contracts with its 20 volunteer fire departments as reasons for the change. Many of the volunteer fire departments already had rules set up for not working with volunteers who possessed criminal backgrounds.

Anderson is protesting and stated, “I understand not wanting sex offenders or people with multiple DUI’s, but I was just young and stupid. We have some big grass fires out here, and we need all the men willing to help that we can get.”

Parker County Fire Marshal Shawn Scott said only about a dozen of the 400 volunteer firefighters had criminal records and their removal has not impacted the fire fighting coverage. Parker County made the decision to begin background checking volunteer fire fighters late last year after discovering that not all of the departments were doing so.

Anderson’s former fire chief described him as a reliable firefighter and stated, “He’d always show up to fires and his job. I didn’t want to let him go but, if I didn’t, it would probably have jeopardized the department.” He acknowledged that Anderson had told him that he had been in trouble with the law, but did not go into specifics. Furthermore, the department did not complete a background check.

Anderson still hopes to appeal his volunteer status with the board. Chris Barron, executive director of the State Firemen and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas said that the Parker County background checks were not unique and many departments across Texas are adopting the same practice. Barron said, “I’m happy [Anderson] is making a living and doing well with his life, but we have to know and be careful about who we’re sending out into homes and businesses.”

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Registered Sex Offender Found Volunteering in Kindergarten Class

A man volunteering at Harloe Elementary School in Arroyo Grande, California was discovered as having been a registered sex offender. He was discovered after one of the children’s parents, who works for the local police department, recognized the man’s name.

The man did not appear on the Megan’s Law website because his offense was considered low-level, and a “low-level” designation does not require that an offender’s name and photograph be listed on the website. He was arrested at Pirate’s Cove in 2001 for indecent exposure.

The school sent a letter home with children notifying parents that a sex offender had been supervising their children. Principal Juan Olivarria reported the man was never left alone with the children, and that no incidents have been reported.

A simple background check would have prevented this occurrence from happening. Even the local police department was surprised that no background check was completed. The school has stated that the man is no longer volunteering and is not allowed on the school campus any longer.