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State Representative Joe Atkins
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192
For more information contact: Ben Schweigert 651-296-5809
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REPRESENTATIVE ATKINS’S BILL TO PROTECT KIDS FROM SEX OFFENDERS PASSES HOUSE
A bill by Representative Joe Atkins to protect kids from sex offenders passed the Minnesota House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 17th with unanimous support. The bill would disallow sex offenders from being granted custody of unrelated children.
“We need to do all we can to protect kids from these dangerous people," Rep. Atkins said. “This law helps us deny sex offenders access to potential victims.”
The bill has received strong bipartisan support since it was introduced. That continued on Tuesday, as Republican Dennis McNamara of Hastings spoke to the House in favor of the bill. The bill also has many co-authors from both parties.
The legislation was prompted by a recent Dakota County case in which a judge awarded custody of a nine-year-old girl to a sex offender later charged with molesting her. In 2004, Justin Farnsworth, a 31-year-old convicted sex offender from Hastings, petitioned for custody of his ex-girlfriend’s daughter. After the nine-year-old’s mother agreed and a court-appointed evaluator deemed Farnsworth a good father, a Dakota County district court judge awarded Farnsworth custody in October.
Three weeks later, Farnsworth was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal assault for molesting the girl. Farnsworth pled guilty to the charges two weeks ago. He had previously been convicted of third-degree felony sexual assault for raping a 13-year-old girl. He served six months in jail followed by 10 years of probation and sex offender treatment.
“I really wish this law wasn’t necessary, but the recent case in Hastings shows that it is,” Rep. Atkins said. “All the new law does is apply the common-sense rule: it prevents judges from granting custody of children to convicted sex offenders.”
The bill is expected to be signed into law by the Governor.
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