LUCAS COUNTY, OH (WTOL) - It's a reality many don't like to think about - sex offenders living near you.
By now, many people know that sex offender registries can be found online. But how often are they being updated?
There are roughly 750 sex offenders right now in Lucas County and only three deputies checking in on them.
Two hundred more are behind bars right now, waiting to be released.
Needless to say, law enforcement has their hands full.
"I would love to be able to provide more random checks of sex offender address verifications than I'm able to currently," said Captain Tricia White.
The Lucas County Sheriff's Office says eight warrants are out right now for offenders who have failed to register.
Since 1997, when Megan's Law required convicted offenders to register, 140 in Lucas County have been sent back to prison, 85 of them more than once.
In most cases, offenders have to update their information once a year. But sexually violent predators, like the dozens we found living near Toledo Elementary Schools, have to update theirs more often.
"Obviously anyone who's classified as a predator or a Tier 3 Offender is someone who's pulled more often for those random checks, if you will," said White.
And some have completely gone off the radar.
"That can happen once a week, and then we turn it over to the command and we'll go find them," said White.
WTOL rode along with Deputy Try Hill as he randomly checked on registered sex offenders in central Toledo and downtown.
At our stops, they were where they were supposed to be.
US Marshals take over pursuing the missing sex offender. They say it happens often.
They average 30 arrests a year of fugitive sex offenders who have failed to register, some of them remain at large. Right now, there are four from this area who have not been found.
Many times, Marshals say an offender will register as homeless, or list a shelter address, and once they move out, they are never heard from again.
Dr. Charlene Cassel, who's treated numerous convicted sex offenders, says some who have committed crimes against children can be impossible to treat.
But she says there's a bigger risk than the offenders on the registry.
"The most danger right now is not that sex offender we know is two blocks down the road, but the next sex offender we haven't found yet. Who's thinking about it, but hasn't committed an act," said Dr. Cassel.
She says re-offending is very low in this area, but there's a bigger reason to educate your children.
She says any stranger should be treated with caution, because an offender my not always look like how you would picture them.
"You show me an all-American looking young man, dressed nice, those are the sex offenders," said Dr. Cassel.
And that's why it falls on parents and neighbors to keep an eye on our kids, and tell them what to watch for.
"I think it's important to always go with your gut. If you have an instinct that someone is not a good person, then you would want to take the precautions to protect yourself and your family," said White.
