Bill would make it easy to look up violent offenders

Ohio has had a database of violent offenders since the Kasich administration, but accessing it hasn't been easy. A new bill by state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, aims to change that. It would allow anyone with internet access to get the database via a website. Ohio currently has an online sex offender search website allowing Ohio residents to find sex offenders who live nearby. Gavarone's Senate Bill 357 apparently would make it possible to run similar searches for people convicted of violent offenses. A news release from Gavarone explains that in 2018, Gov. John Kasich signed Sierah's Law, requiring violent offenders to register for a database. Nearly 6,000 criminals are listed in the database. The law is named after Sierah Joughin, 20, who was murdered near Delta, Ohio, in Fulton County, in 2016. James Dean Worley was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. The violent offender database can only be accessed by visiting a local sheriff's office. If Gavarone's measure becomes law, it could be accessed on the internet, similar to the sex offender database. "By making this database more accessible, Ohioans will have another tool at their disposal to protect themselves and their loved ones," Gavarone said. "Having this information at your fingertips, whether you are law enforcement or a family that just moved into a new neighborhood, is knowledge that can be lifesaving." Gavarone's bill also adds second-degree felony strangulation to the list of offenses requiring registration. It also makes the violent offender database available to law enforcement officers via its Law Enforcement Automated Data System database. Senate Bill 357 has been sent to the Ohio Senate's Judiciary Committee.