Background check nabs sex offender

A sex offender has been arrested in Collier County, FL, after applying to work at a local fair. Don J. Deputy Jr., 55, of Gibsonton, Fla., was charged earlier this week with failing to register in Florida as a sex offender. Deputy had applied to work at the Collier County fair but, unbeknown to him, fair organizers send a list of names of all those they employ to the local sheriff’s office so that a background check can be conducted. During the background check, investigators discovered Deputy’s status as a sex offender. Deputies located him at the Collier County Fairgrounds on Tuesday and placed him under arrest. It is another successful story of when, and how, background screening works. Had this check not been ordered by the fair organizers, Deputy could well have ended up employed and interacting on a daily basis with children. As noted in a comment on the original article, there is wide-spread appreciation among the locals: “Glad to see that they do background checks on these guys that our children will be around. I know that many parents just drop their kids off at the fair thinking nothing of it. Great job by the CCSO!!!! Thank you for making the fair experience a bit safer!” Praise must go to the county for placing child safety above expense. Hopefully this is a lesson to communities across America in the importance of background screening and the priority it should have.]]>