B.S. from Nueces County, Texas writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
A new condo owner just placed a convicted child molester in her new purchase. Police set up sign notifying all of the situation. Now what?
Mister Condo replies:
B.S., sex offender or not, this new resident must be treated the same as any other resident. I am not an attorney nor am I fluent in Texas Community Association Law. I recommend that the Board speak with the association attorney before taking any action. Any discrimination against this resident would very likely end up getting the Board and/or the association in deep legal troubles. There is no reason for the association to divulge the resident’s name or contact information. That doesn’t mean the association cannot announce that there is a sex offender living within that association or that residents shouldn’t take heed of the sign that the police have installed. In fact, just the opposite is true. That is why the police put the sign there to warn residents and also to deter the sex offender that people are watching. Curious residents are likely to look up the conviction online and see what this person is accused of. There are various degrees of sex offense so it might help to know what this person did and if this person has a history of violence. Neighbors aren’t going to hesitate to call the police if they see anything wrong. My guess is that this person will be on model behavior or end up in jail. Stay vigilant and good luck!