Sex offenders could be as close as next door

Sexual abuse of children in this country is rampant and growing. On occasion, we overturn a stone here and there and find yet another slimy excuse for an individual romping around and trying to “hook up” with underage girls and boys. It’s easy to point fingers at people like Jerry Sandusky, Bernie Fine, and the entire Catholic Church. They are far away, and we, as the general public can say “at least it’s not like that here.’

Well guess again. Not only are such actions taken against children here in our own Tri-City area, but they are thriving. Take a look at the Virginia State Police sex offender registry, http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov, and you may be in for a surprise or two not just by the numbers but also by the list of who they are and where they live.

While the offenses that may get someone included in the registry can range from misconduct with a minor to aggravated sexual assault and rape, the registry only shows the ones who have been caught. There are many who have not been caught, despite the police departments’ best efforts. And there are so many different ways a sex offender can make contact with youths these days it makes the potential risk that much greater.

The table below shows each location in the Tri City area, the number of registered sex offenders on the State Police Sex Offender Registry, the most recent population numbers from the 2010 Census, and the number of sex offender per 1000 residents. It includes a total for the Tri City area.

Location	Registered Sex Offenders	Population	Sex offenders per 1000 population
Prince George	42	36,556	1.1
Dinwiddie	52	28,001	1.8
Colonial Heights	41	17,440	2.41
Hopewell	88	22,580	3.8
Petersburg	217	32,326	6.7
Chesterfield	278	320,277	8.6
Tri City Area	718	457,180	1.5

So, in a way, it shouldn’t be such a shock to find out that a local pastor, Curtis Glendell Mathews, was sentenced to 10 years in prison recently for trying to set up sexual encounters with five girls from Petersburg. He pled guilty to using FaceBook and his cellphone to attempt to set up his meetings. In accepting the plea, which kept everyone from having to appear in court to testify, Mathews dodged five additional counts.  Still, according to Richmond Times-Dispatch writer Mark Bowes’ story, Circuit Judge Pamela S. Baskerville accepted the plea agreement and set the sentence to 85 years with 75 years suspended.

It started out simply enough when Mathews contacted at least these five girls, aged 14-17, through FaceBook. He would groom them with favorable comments, and then try to get their phone numbers. Then he would call and text them and try to set up a meeting. Two of the five met with him, and one reported having sex with him.

Police say there are more victims in the case. It is likely that the case would never have come to light if not for some bad luck for Mathews. It seems that one of his victims showed a friend his picture, and his friend recognized Mathews as the pastor at her church.

Don’t think this is the only such case. There are more; they are all around us. The nature of the crime keeps witnesses from coming forward, and in some cases the people who are aware of something being awry are unwilling to step up and report it. That’s what happened in the Sandusky case, and to some extent with this case. Had it not been for the friend, Mathews would still be working his game via FaceBook and cellphone.