Legal loophole allows sexual predator to live near park in St. Johns County

Neighbors in St. Johns County are outraged after a sexual predator moved in next door, although legally, he is allowed to be there.

His new address on West Vivian Dr. is near a park and two school bus stops.

Charles Bradley was convicted for molesting a girl under 12 years old.

While sexual predators in Florida are generally restricted from living within 1,000 feet of parks, this change in the law was made in 2004, a year after Bradley committed the act.

Therefore, the law doesn’t apply to him.

“Because of a loophole, he’s allowed to live in a neighborhood that’s full of kids,” said David McKay, father of two young children. “And we don’t feel that’s right.”

Other neighbors agree.

“We’re not used to having to keep our children in the house, to keep them out of harm’s way like that,” said Teresa House.

Action News Jax Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson says for predators like Bradley who are ‘grandfathered in,’ the law is unlikely to change.

“The problem is you can’t necessarily force the individual who is a sexual predator or violator to move,” he said.

There are also two school bus stops near Bradley’s house.

But state law only prohibits sex predators and offenders on conditional release from living within 1,000 feet of a school bus stop. That doesn’t apply to Bradley either.

“It has our neighborhood in an uproar,” said McKay.

However, the St. Johns County School District said it will be making changes to its bus routes after Action News Jax called them regarding the story.

The district told us they would now make sure every school bus would pass through both bus stops, meaning no child would have to walk by Bradley’s house on their way to or from school.

Cox Media Group