Two nonprofit organizations have launched two new services to help citizens make better use of the state Megan’s Law sex offender database.
Parents for Megan’s Law and the Crime Victims Center have teamed up to offer a tip line to report sex offenders believed to be in violation of of their requirements as well as a National Megan’s Law Helpline to provide information and resources and help people access the database, organizers said in a written statement.
“The Sex Offender Registration Tips Program provides the public an opportunity to report registrants who are failing to comply with registration requirements, employment or supervision restrictions or who are in position of trust where they can access children,” the statement said.
Tips can be made by calling the Helpline at 888-275-7365, or online at www.parentsformeganslaw.org.
While the program is not designed to report police emergencies, “Agency deputized staff work collaboratively with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to facilitate the appropriate follow-up action.”
Funding for the program is provided by the U.S. Department of Justice.

SOUTH PASADENA — Police sought a man Friday who was spotted fondling himself in his car by a teenage girl, police said.
The incident took place about 2:15 p.m. as two 14-year-old girls were walking home from school on Bank Street, just west of Fair Oaks Avenue, South Pasadena police Sgt. Robert Bartl said.
The girls passed by a silver convertible sports car parked along the side of the road and looked inside, the lieutenant said.
One of the girls saw a man sitting in the driver’s seat exposing and touching himself, Bartl said.
One of the girls screamed and the two quickly walked away, he said.
The car drove off and was last seen in a nearby business parking lot, police added.
A description of the man was not available, Bartl said, however he was wearing brown pants and a teal shirt.

From City News Service:

Seventeen sex offenders being monitored by the global positioning system devices were arrested at recent county fairs statewide, including four at the Los Angeles County Fair and six at the Orange County Fair, a prisons spokesperson said.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials said parole agents and local law enforcement monitored sex offenders from June 23 through Oct. 3.
The four arrests at the Los Angeles County Fair were down from 14 in 2009. Statewide, arrests dropped from 35 in 2009, according to prisons officials.
“The decline in arrests in 2010 may indicate sex offenders are getting the message to stay away from public events with children,” said Robert Ambroselli, the head of Parole Operations.
“The 2010 results show that we are keeping sex offenders out of these public events and away from families,” he said. The fairs were also monitored for gang members with GPS devices, but none was detected. California monitors 6,579 sex offenders and 932 high-risk gang offenders, according to the prisons department.

This comes from reporter Jannise Johnson at one of our sister papers, the San Bernardino Sun:

CHINO HILLS — A 30-year-old band teacher was arrested Thursday on suspicion he had a sexual relationship with his 16-year-old female student.
Justin Wallin was arrested on the campus of Chino Hills High School without incident, according to a written statement from San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials.
The sheriff’s department started an investigation Tuesday after the 16-year-old reported she and the teacher were sexually involved.
The girl’s parents found sexually explicit text messages from Wallin on her phone, according to the release.
The parents discovered more than 8,000 text messages from Wallin to their daughter.
Investigators learned that Wallin the and the girl engaged in sexual acts in Chino Hills, Chino and at Wallin’s house, according to the release.
Wallin was booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of three sex-related charges. He is now out on $100,000 bail.
Wallin in employed by the Chino Unified School District and investigators are concerned there may be other victims.