A Montville town councilor called the commissioner for the state Department of Correction a liar on Wednesday night and said he let a treatment center for sex offenders move into town under false pretenses.
“They scammed the town of Montville with a bunch of lip service,” Councilor Dana McFee said. “I was mislead and I mislead the people of Montville. .... I’m sick to my stomach over that.”
McFee and the town fought to keep this place out of Montville until the commissioner for the State Department of Correction promised the “worst of the worst” wouldn’t live here.
After checking the state sex offender registry, McFee was convinced that wasn’t the case.
“He's a bold face liar!” McFee exclaimed.
Online records showed 20 sex offenders live at the facility and 11 of them committed first-degree sex offenses, which is the highest level. Many of their crimes include raping children under the age of 13.
According to the database, one of the convicted felons had sex with a teenage girl when she was drunk and unconscious.
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That was something people who live just feet away didn’t expect.
“It upsets you. You want to know what’s coming in your backyard,” Bob Montgomery, a neighbor, said.
On Wednesday, the Department of Correction insisted the worst of the worst aren’t living here and told NBC Connecticut, just because these sex offenders committed some very serious crimes, doesn’t mean they’re a risk to the community.
A Department of Correction spokesperson said the people who are at the center have to pass a rigorous screening process to move in and they can’t have a likelihood of re-offending or escaping from the gated building. He wanted to emphasize the public’s safety is the first priority.
“Naturally, the community is concerned,” Montville Mayor Ronald McDaniel admitted.
That concern over the center still has town leader on high alert.
“I’m going to tell you, we are going to keep an eye on them,” McFee said, adding that he’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that sex offenders don’t harm this community.
The facility is surrounded by razor wire, and it’s on the same grounds as a maximum-security prison.
Some neighbors admitted it might be safer to have the sex offenders live in the rehab center located on the Norwich-New London Turnpike as opposed to them moving in next door.
