Seven offenders leave local facility

Seven registered sex offenders who had recently arrived in Clarendon all packed up and left town this week, but an “alternative housing” facility for similar offenders is still in operation.

Donley Count Sheriff Butch Blackburn said the men arrived here in the last two weeks, but they departed Tuesday morning for Houston and El Paso after parole officials discovered a “technical error.”

Blackburn said he didn’t know what the “error” was, but he believed an outcry from the public and citizens’ calls to state officials concerning the men’s presence in this community had something to do with their removal.

“I think that helped more than anything,” Blackburn said. “Putting pressure on the state is the only way to stop this.”

State Sen. Kel Seliger said his office received a call concerned about the facility in Clarendon. His office then notified the state agency of the concern, and the agency took it from there. Seliger said there is a definite need for such facilities in the state but also said he understands the concerns.

“These get located in big towns and small towns,” the senator said.
Seliger said his office often helps make the connection between constituents with concerns and the appropriate agency.

“That’s what we do,” Seliger said. “The people of Donley County are always welcome to call our office.”

Sheriff Blackburn said six of the seven men who left town were among the seven whose names were published in public notices in last week’s Enterprise. The seventh man who left this week just arrived last Thursday. Another man, who has served the entirety of his sentence, will be moving here this week.

“Just because we lost seven doesn’t mean we won’t gain that many more back,” the sheriff said.
Blackburn said his office has received several calls about what is commonly referred to as halfway house operating in the city.

“These facilities are by no means supported by the Donley County Sheriff’s Office or wanted by the sheriff’s office,” Blackburn said. “This was something the state allowed without consideration of the well-being of Donley County or its citizens. We already had plenty of homegrown sex offenders without bringing more in.”

The sheriff says people should be careful about hiring people they don’t know and should keep watch on their kids.

“I’m warning the citizens that we will likely continue to be flooded with these types of people as long as we have this facility operating,” he said.

Blackburn said registered sex offenders have to notify his office within 48 hours of moving to Donley County, and then his office runs a printed notice in the Enterprise as soon as possible. A state-run website listing sex offenders lags up to three weeks in being updated.

The sheriff said currently anyone convicted of a sex crime is supposed to register, but the rules vary some depending on circumstances and some people convicted of sex crimes do not have to register at all based on when they committed their crime.

“We have some folks here just as dangerous as these were, but they committed their crime before it was required to register,” he said.

Blackburn said sex offenders also face different rules depending on whether they are on probation, which carries the most restrictions, are on parole, or have served their sentence entirely.

Last week, social media discussions exploded over concerns about the number of registered sex offenders living in the city after a man reportedly attempted to pick up a local girl. Although it was never proved that it was related, the incident resulted in the public’s attention focusing on a facility, frequently being called a halfway house, in north Clarendon.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Public Information Officer Robert C. Hurst told the Enterprise that Shekinta Ministries rents to parole clients as it is an Alternate Housing Resource for the client population.
Alternate housing locations, Hurst said, are typically operated by non-profits and religious groups and are a housing option for individuals on supervision.

The difference between a halfway house and alternative housing is that TDCJ does not have a contracts with alternate housing providers, whereas a halfway house is a facility that has a contractual relationship with TDCJ.

“There are no TDCJ contracted facilities in Donley County; however, Shekinta Ministries, 218 N. Sully St, Clarendon, TX. 79226, is an approved alternate housing location that provides residence for up to seven paroled offenders,” Hurst wrote.

Blackburn told the Enterprise that he understands Shekinta is operating three locations here, the one on North Sully Street, another on North Gorst Street, and a third on White Street. Hurst said Tuesday afternoon he could not find any information about state-approved Shekinta facilities other than on Sully Street.

Hurst wrote that facilities such as the one operated by Shekinta have to follow a procedure to be opened. Potential facilities can request placement on the Alternate Housing Resource Listing by completing the application process through the Parole Division. Alternate Housing sites are not TDCJ contracted facilities.

Hurst said TDCJ or other state agencies do not provide funding for these facilities.

So how do offenders find out about Alternative Housing available in a place like Clarendon?

Hurst said clients who have no other viable residential plan options are provided information about approved Alternate Housing Resource locations to assist in plan development.

The Enterprise attempted to contact Shekinta founder and president David A. Hurlbeck for a comment Tuesday afternoon. There was no return call as of press time.

Blackburn, meanwhile, is continuing to oppose Shekinta’s operation here.

“These people are not innocent; they have been convicted of their crimes,” the sheriff said. “This situation is not good for Donley County. We don’t have any local control over it. I appreciate the concerns of our local citizens, and I ask them to continue to let their state leaders know we do not want this and do not need this added chance for crime in our county,” Blackburn said.