Parent Group: East Meadow Sex Offender Should Be Evicted

A Level 3 sex offender living on Hilda Street near Parkway elementary school in East Meadow is violating Nassau County's residency restriction law and should be forced to move, according to Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan's Law.

The offender, Robert Wisch, was convicted in May 1996 of felony sex abuse after having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl, according to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. He served five years probation.

Although he is no longer under supervision, Nassau County bans registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools and within 500 feet of parks and playgrounds. The county actually lost the ability to enforce the ban back in 2011 when a court ruled that the state already had its own sex offender rules, thus rendering Nassau's powerless.  

In September, however, a three-judge appellate panel reversed that state court ruling, allowing the county to continue banning sex offenders from living near schools.

The panel ruled that local governments are better suited to keep residents safe from sex offenders, especially those who are no longer on parole.

In Wisch's case, he lives .16 miles from the school, which translates to 860 feet, Ahearn said. Parents for Megan's Law uses multiple mapping programs to measure distance, including an "As the Crow Flies" distance calculator. Ahearn said she sent a lead to the county's Megan's Law unit on Sept. 19, nine days after the reversal.

According to Nassau County attorney John Ciampoli, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano has said he will enforce the local law.

Nassau County spokeswoman Katie Grilli-Robles said Mangano also asked the police to immediately intervene, saying “no sex offender should be living that close to a school."

Ahearn said the reversal was a big win for the county.

"Nassau County is the first county in the state to take it to this level," she said. "It's been a tremendous effort on the part of Nassau County and I can only applaud them for their effort."

A total of 10 sex offenders, including Wisch, live in East Meadow, according to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' Public Safety Facebook page.

Residents can sign up to receive email alerts whenever a sex offender moves into their neighborhood via the Parents for Megan's Law website or the Sex Offender Locator Application, accessible here.