Teh One Who Knocks
08-09-2011, 09:28 PM
KWQC-TV Channel 6
http://i.imgur.com/S9Tzp.jpg
A man wearing the costume of a popular TV show character is sitting in Scott County Jail and his employer is making an apology to the Quad Cities.
James Lester Rogers was arrested over the weekend after greeting children and families at the entrance of the Mississippi Valley Fair. He was working for a private business, unrelated to the fair, when he was arrested because he is a convicted sex offender and not allowed to be around children or on fairgrounds.
Police say it happened around 5 Friday night. Rogers was wearing a costume that looks like Sesame Street's Cookie Monster. He revealed himself when he took off the head of the costume to say "hello" to a former parole supervisor. That's when the supervisor recognized Rogers, who had been convicted of committing sexual acts against a minor.
Rogers was working for a new company called Q.C. Characters. The business was not contracted by the fair and was simply using the opportunity to do some free advertising. The business owner, who doesn't want to be identified, is apologizing to the entire community.
"I should have took my time, and done a background check but ... you learn from your mistakes."
Iowa law prohibits sex offenders from being at carnivals or fairs or on the same property where kids are playing.
"This guy needed a job so I kinda put him in the costume right away."
The owner of Q.C. Characters says he hired Rogers to dress-up like the children's character with the intention of working at events and private birthday parties.
"It's just easy, fast money. I mean, they get paid 10, 15 bucks an hour just to be in a costume jumping up and down and stuff." But that means Rogers would have been spending his time surrounded by children. The company owner says he neglected to do a background check upon hiring Rogers.
"I apologize to the QC. I have kids myself."
The business hasn't been hired for any events yet. Rogers never had the chance to work at someone's home and the owner says no sex offender ever will.
"From now on, what I'm going to do is I'm going to have everybody screened, with a badge, and that way when they do go to parties they're going to show the certificate to the customer so that way, they're aware they're not a sex offender."
It's a brand new business and up until now, the owner's focus was getting the word out, but not like this.
"A learning experience, and I'm learning. It's only been a month since I've been doing this. It's just an honest mistake."
Detectives with the Scott County Sheriffs Office Say Rogers could face a maximum of two years in prison for being at the fair in the costume.
http://i.imgur.com/S9Tzp.jpg
A man wearing the costume of a popular TV show character is sitting in Scott County Jail and his employer is making an apology to the Quad Cities.
James Lester Rogers was arrested over the weekend after greeting children and families at the entrance of the Mississippi Valley Fair. He was working for a private business, unrelated to the fair, when he was arrested because he is a convicted sex offender and not allowed to be around children or on fairgrounds.
Police say it happened around 5 Friday night. Rogers was wearing a costume that looks like Sesame Street's Cookie Monster. He revealed himself when he took off the head of the costume to say "hello" to a former parole supervisor. That's when the supervisor recognized Rogers, who had been convicted of committing sexual acts against a minor.
Rogers was working for a new company called Q.C. Characters. The business was not contracted by the fair and was simply using the opportunity to do some free advertising. The business owner, who doesn't want to be identified, is apologizing to the entire community.
"I should have took my time, and done a background check but ... you learn from your mistakes."
Iowa law prohibits sex offenders from being at carnivals or fairs or on the same property where kids are playing.
"This guy needed a job so I kinda put him in the costume right away."
The owner of Q.C. Characters says he hired Rogers to dress-up like the children's character with the intention of working at events and private birthday parties.
"It's just easy, fast money. I mean, they get paid 10, 15 bucks an hour just to be in a costume jumping up and down and stuff." But that means Rogers would have been spending his time surrounded by children. The company owner says he neglected to do a background check upon hiring Rogers.
"I apologize to the QC. I have kids myself."
The business hasn't been hired for any events yet. Rogers never had the chance to work at someone's home and the owner says no sex offender ever will.
"From now on, what I'm going to do is I'm going to have everybody screened, with a badge, and that way when they do go to parties they're going to show the certificate to the customer so that way, they're aware they're not a sex offender."
It's a brand new business and up until now, the owner's focus was getting the word out, but not like this.
"A learning experience, and I'm learning. It's only been a month since I've been doing this. It's just an honest mistake."
Detectives with the Scott County Sheriffs Office Say Rogers could face a maximum of two years in prison for being at the fair in the costume.