Dorchester Times: More Than 20 Registered Sex Offenders In Saline County

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

More Than 20 Registered Sex Offenders In Saline County

The well-being of our youth is a top priority of the Dorchester Times.

That's why we are publishing today's post, hoping parents will always take appropriate steps to ensure the children's safety -- no matter how busy we get.

Nebraska law declares that sex offenders present a high risk as repeat offenders. For that reason, the Legislature and the attorney general have determined that in order to assist local law enforcement agencies, sex offenders must register as provided by the Sex Offender Registration Act. This information is used to provide public notices and information so that Nebraska communities can develop reasonable plans to safeguard children and teens.

Under state law, there are three levels of registered sex offenders -- those who must register for 15 years, 25 years and life. That duration is based on the seriousness of the crime. The difference between the levels are as follows:

15 years: If the sex offender was convicted of an offense not punishable by imprisonment for more than one year (i.e., primarily misdemeanor offenses).

25 years: If the sex offender was convicted of an offense punishable by imprisonment for more than one year.

Life: If the sex offender was convicted of anoffense punishable by imprisonment for more than one year and was convicted of an aggravated offense; or had a prior sex offense conviction; or has been determined to be a lifetime registrant in another state or other jurisdiction.

The Times found one listing of a registered sex offender in Dorchester at the present time. It may be viewed by clicking here.

There are currently 22 registered offenders in Saline County, according to the Nebraska State Patrol Web site.

Over the past year, the City of Crete has seen its number of registered sex offenders jump to 10, up from seven. Wilber has four offenders, while Friend has two.

To see the list of registered sex offenders in Saline County, click here.

5 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 23, 2013 at 1:48 PM
Good information!
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DavidJanuary 26, 2013 at 2:08 PM
Probably more. Others just haven't been caught yet.

But keep Dorchester a friendly village and don't become paranoid and make a mental list of 'suspects.'
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Don HoffmanNovember 19, 2014 at 6:59 PM
Yes we do live in a small, close knit community and we only have one class 3 (lifetime) offender; but sex offenders are very mobile and know small town kids are very trusting. Keep tabs on the Registry, but more importantly, keep tabs on your children. Make sure they know how to deal with a stranger, especially one in a car or van. Teach them to be aware of what is around them and strangers who might be watching their activities. Tell them never to be afraid to ask an adult they know or even one of our high school kids for help. Pedophiles do not want adult attention and will generally leave the area if they feel they are in danger of being identified. I don't believe there is a door in this town that would remain closed if a child came knocking on it to ask for help. This is one of the more important posts the Times has put up and I think everyone should share it to get the widest distribution possible.
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MarkNovember 19, 2014 at 7:18 PM
I see that the offender in Dorchester is on the list for life
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AnonymousNovember 19, 2014 at 7:26 PM
I do not think he lives there anymore because some one else lives there now,
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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."