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Vicki Rios-Martinez (pictured) flips a lock of redish-blond hair away from her face. She glances around, as mothers do, in a park where children are playing. This is Junny Rios-Martinez Park in Cocoa.

“I had to put it all away for a while… I had to concentrate on keeping my family and my marriage together,” she says.

Mrs Martinez talked a bit about the spiritual life she has found – a life which helps her deal with the anger and the grief she has felt since April 18th 1991. That was the day Mark Dean Schwab ended the life of her eleven year-old son, Junny.

Schwab had been released to the community one month earlier, after serving less than half of the eight-year sentence he received for molesting a thirteen year-old boy.

“He saw Junny’s picture in the newspaper and a few days later he contacted us. He said he was a photographer for a surfing magazine. Back then there was no sex offender registry… no warning at all.”

“He brought all these things, T-shirts, caps, shorts. He said these people would sponsor Junny and this was some of the free merchandise he would get from these companies. Junny was all exited.”

Later that week, Schwab picked Junny up at school on a pretext. Two weeks later he told police where the body was.

On May 19th, Mrs. Martinez will present an award to Mark Lunsford, whose daughter Jessie was allegedly murdered by another convicited molester: John Couey.

Called “The Junny”, it represents all the progress that has been made since April 18th 1991. She glances around, as mothers do…

Child advocates, law makers and law enforcers are slated to converge on Cape Canaveral in May to participate in the Space Coast Conference On Child Protection. The event, which is themed the “Lunsford Act Workshop” (L.A.W.), will examine the dramatic new legislation designed to protect Florida’s children from sex predators.

State Representative Mitch Needleman, co-sponsor of the Jessica Lunsford Act, will be on hand to discuss the dynamic legislation in the works in Tallahassee.

Scheduled between the 2006 legislative sessions, the conference is an opportunity for law enforcement to present a laundry list for state law makers.

“Certainly, there will be some tweaking to do.” says Sheriff Jack Parker, “these laws have changed the landscape for local law enforcement.” Parker who is earning a reputation for his agressive posture toward policing sex criminals, will take his turn at the podium to outline his goal of creating a “Child Safe” community.

Parker will be joined by Chief Phillip Ludos of the Cocoa Police Department. The veteran cop is president of the Association of Chiefs of Police: “In some cases, these local ordinances are running ahead of existing state law.” Chief Ludos spoke to THE GUARDIAN by telephone March 14.

Melbourne-based attorney Michael Kahn, will discuss issues concerning civil liberties at the workshop. An expert in constitutional law, Kahn’s presentation will be aimed at anticipating challenges to this radical new legislation.

Activist and Author Claire Reeves (pictured), will keynote the event along with Mark Lunsford. Her organization Mothers Against Sexual Abuse (M.A.S.A) spearheaded some of the fundamental laws of the American child-protection movement. She was a prime mover behind the elimination of the statute of limitations for sexual assault on young children. The adoption of the law allows victims to file charges many years after their abuse. Reeves was instrumental in forcing adoption of California’s chemical castration law. She is the author of “Childhood: It Should Not Hurt”.

Host Mayor, Rocky Randells of Cape Canaveral will welcome the conferees at the Radisson-Resort at the Port. The one-day event begins at 9:00 AM, May 19th and registration can be made by calling Protect Our Children at 321-638-3711. To register on-line visit the website at www.uspoc,org. The cost of registration will increase after May 5th, and group discounts are available. Luncheon will be provided by the Radisson’s banquet staff.

Despite proposed ordinances designed to keep convicted sex offenders from residing near schools, registered offenders who have children attending Brevard schools are allowed entry to school grounds to visit their kids.

Nervous parents called THE GUARDIAN last week complaining that sex offender William Pratt (pictured) was frequenting Ralph Williams Jr. Elementary School in Rockledge. Pratt, was the subject of an article by FLORIDA TODAY staff writer John Torres, published September 13. The story focused on the offender’s opposition to a proposed Palm Bay ordinance which would effectively banish both predators and offenders from the city.

School resource officer John Hudgens says parents who come to the school to visit their children must enter their name and their child’s name in a computer at the front office. The computer prints out a bright yellow tag which is to be worn by visitors at all times.

“No parent is allowed to be off by themselves,” says Hudgens, “They are usually in a common area like the lunchroom, and are not outside the view of other adults.” He said any parent or visitor without a yellow tag is stopped and questioned.

Parents are allowed to come on campus to eat lunch with their children and attend functions in the group setting. Volunteers who work “one-on-one” with students are required to pass a background check. Tutors and Apple Corps volunteers are fingerprinted and screened before they may access school grounds.

Principal Cynthia Ford said she has received inquiries periodically from parents asking about Pratt’s access to the campus.

Viera resident Terry Ramey thinks the system is not adequate; “There are no real safety precautions, you put a name in the computer, get a sticker and walk. No one really checks you in.”

Ramey whose children attended Williams Elementary last year, was shocked when she noticed Pratt on campus; “I had seen him at the school at various functions…a science fair among other things.” she told THE GUARDIAN in a telephone interview. “In my opinion sex offenders should not be allowed on school grounds regardless of whether they have children attending the school. Common sense dictates that people who have hurt a child that way should not be there at all.”

Andrea E. Alford, Director of District and School Security says when her department receives an inquiry about a sex offender, the staff checks to see if the person has been released from any restrictions imposed by the state: “If they have completed their sanctions, there is no reason to take additional action.” she said.

Alford says people who are classified as predators are not allowed on school campuses. State law however, places no restrictions on adults who have been classified as sex offenders and have completed their sentences. “They have civil rights,” she said “and we can’t place sanctions on them that the state has not.”

Director Alford spoke to THE GUARDIAN in a telephone interview September 29th. She said the school system does not keep a list of parents who are released sex offenders.

The subject of child molesters visiting their children in schools was the topic of an article in the Summer 1997 issue of THE GUARDIAN. Convicted molester John W. Daniels was reported to be entering the campus of Atlantis Elementary School to eat lunch with his child. At the time Daniels was still on probation, after being convicted of committing a lewd act on a child in 1987. The article whose headline reads “Campus Molester Gets Detention” explained that Daniels was barred from being present on any school property by the conditions of his sentence. Atlantis Principal Vickie Mace reported Daniels to probation officers who arrested him for violating his probation. Daniels eventually completed his probation, and because his conviction occurred before 1995, he is not required to register with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Florida schools are just beginning to grapple with the problems of maintaining safety standards when convicted sex criminals are given access to school grounds. This month, Brevard schools began implementing state procedures requiring vendors who service schools to undergo a background check. Some school systems in Florida now have student sex offenders in the upper grade levels.

New technologies promise to improve on the “make your own label” system currently in place at Williams Elementary. Sophisticated scanners are coming on line which verify the identity of the visitor automatically. The new systems match the face of the visitor with the photo on the drivers license which is inserted in the device.

E. Allan Measom, President of Raptor Technologies says, “Seventy-three percent (73%) of all of the Registered Sex Offenders logged at our Texas school installations had previous convictions of sexual crimes against children—with the victim’s average age being eleven (11). The most disturbing part of this is that most of these (offenders) are parents or guardians with children at that school. And even worse than that, many of them visit the school on a regular basis.”

Meason’s company markets visitor I.D. systems to schools in Texas and Florida.

• Changes in behavior, mood swings, withdrawal, fearfulness and excessive crying.
• Stained, torn or bloody clothing.
• Child reports pain, itching or bleeding in genital area.
• Child possesses detailed knowledge of adult sexual behavior.
• Young child behaves “seductively” or acts out in a sexual manner.
• Exhibits violent behavior toward smaller children or pets.
• Recoils from physical contact with adults.
• Regression to infantile behavior, “clinging”.
• Changes in sleeping habits: bed-wetting, nightmares, sleep disturbances.