A federal lawsuit filed by three convicted sex offenders says they and others were wrongly listed on the state’s sex offender registry.
Salvatore Manganaro, Shawn Spencer and Ray Bridwell filed the class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Ft. Wayne on behalf of people convicted of sex offenses before June 30, 1994, who were named on the registry. The suit names Catherine O’Connor, executive director of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, the agency that keeps the registry.
The registry was created by a state law known as “Zachary’s Law” that requires sex offenders on parole or probation to register with the police where they live. They must provide detailed information, including their home addresses.
The law took effect July 1, 1994. The registry is available to the public and is supposed to be updated every six months. In 1995, the law was amended to list only people convicted after July 1, 1994, court records stated.
But the lawsuit alleges there are names included on the registry, including the three plaintiffs’, who completed their sentences before that date.
