Dear Mayor Panto and Council Members,
I want to make the council aware that, as of December 31st 2017, four violent, registered sex offenders are living in the Hotel Lafayette.
This does not include transient, out of state offenders who may not have registered with PA Megan's Law.
On December 31st, I went into the Hotel Lafayette to confront the manager in regards to this issue, as parents were given assurances from Easton Arts Academy and law enforcement that pedophiles would not be residing in such close proximity to the school.
Just two weeks ago, I spoke to a police officer who assured me that no sex offenders were living there, and that law enforcement was keeping a frequent eye on the hotel.
The manager told me that not only does he not check ID's or backgrounds of "tenants", but has no intention of asking offenders to leave. He claimed he doesn't own a computer and doesn't even know how to use one to do a basic Megan's Law check to ensure the safety of his other guests as well as the children who attend the school across the street.
The police were called and they stated that the neighbors on the street were notified, and they were unsure of the laws about proximity to schools, but would check into it.
I notified the school and received a phone call from Joanna Hughes, the CEO of the Easton Arts Academy.
She told me the school was informed and photos were hung in their office, but no further measures were taken. She told me that parents were never given assurances as to the cleaning up of the hotel and that "pedophiles have rights too."
I asked her why my post via the school's FB page, to warn other parents to be aware, was blocked, and she stated that she thought it may be illegal to share information from Megan's Law - a public information site.
I also stated to her that the law says that no more than five registered sex offenders can be living in one place ( Section 42 Pa.CS 9799.25 (f) of Megan's Law) and if found, the owner of the residence or "boarding house" will be fined between $2500 and $5000 for the offense.
She stated to me that the school "can't do anything about it". I find this horrifying.
I have pulled my son out of the school as I no longer feel safe having him attend a school where the administration takes zero action to ensure the safety of its students and staff. They chose to build their school across the street from a building which is "something straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie". So, in my opinion, they need to be more diligent.
As of now, these offenders below list the Hotel Lafayette as their primary residence. While Megan's Law does not routinely dictate where a registered sex offender can live, some individual offenders are restricted from living near schools and daycares. This information is not being followed up on as far as I can tell.
Robert William McCullough - Repeat, violent predator
Eric Orlando Garcia - Tier 3 sex offender
Patrick Joseph Boscia Jr - Sexually Violent Predator
Neil James Albright - Tier 3 sex offender
While these men may, or may not, have personal restrictions on where they can live, the fact that there are four living in the hotel unchecked is alarming. Who will be checking to make sure the hotel is fined accordingly if one more checks in?
Criminals and dangerous offenders choose the hotel because they are asked nothing about who they are. Robert McCullough works at the Bayou in Easton (as listed on the Megan's Law site) and stated to another employee that he was not required to show ID or even give his name when moving into the hotel.
I respectfully request that the council address this issue and offer parents some resolution as to what measures will be taken to ensure the law is being followed.
Ms. Hughes' flippant attitude and suppression of information to parents is unacceptable. They worry more about the status of their charter than the safety of their students in my opinion.
I would love the opportunity to have this issue brought to the calendar for discussion and resolution.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
