Many of you read on my blog recently, and probably saw on multiple news sources as well, the story of the horrific murder of a young girl living in an Indiana trailer park. While there are still so many unanswered questions regarding why the accused killer Michael Plumadore would bludgeon a child to death with a brick and how he was entrusted with her care in the first place, there are some shocking details being revealed about the environment in which both the victim and her attacker lived.
This particular trailer park in Fort Wayne, Indiana is home to fifteen registered sex offenders and only 24 homes overall. That means more than half of the residences in that park contain a person who has been convicted of a sex crime. Even the young victim, Aliahna Lemmon, had recently moved to that location with her mother and siblings so that her mom could help care for her father, a man convicted of child molestation in 2006.
It’s terrifying to think that there are probably neighborhoods that serve as havens for child molesters and other sexual predators all across our country. With the understandable geographic restrictions placed on them by the law, I guess it’s inevitable that certain areas would become known as “safe spots” for sex offenders to live. The thought of so many people convicted of these despicable crimes congregating together seems like something out of a crime novel. Unfortunately, this is reality and not a scene typed on an author’s computer screen.
What is the solution? These convicts need to stay away from schools and daycares and the like, but these pockets of highly concentrated sex offenders are frightening as well. The thought of even a single child living there, and knowing that there were several girls in the park, is tragic. I sincerely hope Aliahna’s mother chooses a safer home for her other children immediately.
What is the solution to this growing problem?
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Author Jennifer Chase 