Sex offender could get life term for phone call

Angry about the way an ex-girlfriend used his car and parked it without locking the doors, Gerome Alexander left a brief message on her telephone answering machine: "I'm going to catch you, and you're going to get yours." That one call could send Mr. Alexander to prison for the rest of his life. The 35-year-old Garland man is one of 59 convicted sex offenders in Texas who were released from prison and placed under civil commitment after being deemed sexually violent predators. They live under a strict code of conduct that typically requires them to remain under close supervision, undergo therapy and be regularly subjected to polygraph tests and behavioral exams until it's determined that they are no longer a threat.

The civil statute differs from criminal charges in that it has no set time frame. Mr. Alexander was committed in 2001 after he completed a two-year prison sentence for exposing himself to a child. It was his third sex offense. Prosecutors charge that the phone message he left in late 2004 was a violation of the rules he agreed to live under. If a jury agrees in his trial, which starts Tuesday, Mr. Alexander faces 25 years to life in prison. His case marks the first time in Texas that prosecutors will ask a jury to send a civilly committed sex offender back to prison. [...]

According to court records, the angry phone call is just one of several civil commitment violations by Mr. Alexander. His relationship with his girlfriend was a violation because his caseworker was not informed of it and because the woman is on parole. Mr. Alexander was also forbidden to have access to a car. Also, under polygraph analysis, he admitted that he had consumed alcohol and had viewed pornography, court records say.

source: Article 'Sex offender could get life term for phone call - Prosecutors insist threat broke rules; lawyer says law is unconstitutional' by Robert Tharp; www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-commitment_15met.ART0.North.Edition2.3e9e2ea.html; Dallas Morning News; 15 January 2006 [[Category:Restrictions sex offenders‏‎]