A Kips Bay men’s shelter has kicked out 25 sex offenders after one of its residents was indicted for raping a woman at a Flatiron bar, reports the New York Post. Bellevue Men’s Shelter, near 30th Street and 1st Avenue, announced that it has removed all of its Level 3 sex offenders. Level 3 is the highest level of sex offender in New York and is defined as an offender who has a high risk of repeat offense and is a threat to public safety. Councilman Daniel Garodnick told the Post that the shelter removed Level 3 offenders because the home is only 650 feet from a school for learning-disabled children and 1,000 feet from a Montessori school. The offenders have been relocated to shelters that are not near schools. Level 3 offenders are not permitted to live within 1,000 feet of a school, but City Hall allowed a loophole that waived residency requirement for offenders who are not on parole or probation.
The shelter housed Rodney Stover, who was indicted on Tuesday for raping a 23-year-old woman in a bathroom at the Turnmill Bar in Flatiron on April 11. Stover, 48, served nearly 20 years in prison for a 1993 sexual assault on Long Island. Stover ” grabbed the victim by the throat and raped her inside of a bathroom stall,” a police account from the 13th Precinct reported. Stover was initially charged with rape, predatory sex attack, criminal sex act and assault for the attack. The Post reports that the exact charges in the indictment are still under seal.
Alleged serial rapist’s shelter kicks out dozens of sex offenders
Provided
