Full Notification

On Wednesday, February 2, 2011, at 6:15 pm, Norwalk Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested a retired Army Major for entering school grounds as a registered sex offender, a misdemeanor violation of 626.81 of the California State Penal Code.

Suspect John W. Davis, 56, of Whittier, volunteered to read to elementary school children at Los Altos Elementary School while wearing his Army uniform on November 10, 2010.

Davis is a registered sex offender convicted out of San Diego County in 2000 for a felony violation of attempted lewd acts with a child under the age of 14. School officials with the Los Altos Elementary School in unincorporated Whittier were unaware of Davis’ conviction, when he was allowed to read to the school children at a "heroes day" at the school to celebrate Veteran's Day.

Norwalk Station sheriff’s deputies became aware of the incident on January 28, 2011, while verifying the addresses of all sex offenders registered in the unincorporated Whittier area. The deputies recognized Davis from the reading event at the school and initiated an investigation along with the Special Victims Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Davis is listed in the California Megan’s Law website at www.meganslaw.ca.gov as a sex offender.

Schools, churches, and any organizations dealing with children (or anyone concerned about personal safety) are urged to use this free website in an effort to determine if volunteers or other people are convicted sex offenders: www.meganslaw.ca.gov

Additional information on How to Protect Yourself and Your Family is available at:
http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/protect.aspx

“There is a tremendous amount of public access to information on the Internet for parents and guardians to be proactive about the protection of their children. We encourage you to use it,” said Captain Pat Maxwell, Norwalk Sheriff’s Station. “Often, suspects in child abuse cases gained access to their victims through positions of trust. Proactive parents and guardians are the best protection for any child.”

Anyone with additional information on Suspect Davis please contact Norwalk Station at 562-863-8711. Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local Sheriff’s station. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org

For more information about child safety tips contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department http://www.lasd.org , your local police or sheriff's station, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at http://www.missingkids.com

Child Safety Is More Than A Slogan
“Stranger-Danger” Warnings Not Effective at Keeping Kids Safer

By Nancy A. McBride, National Safety Director
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®
http://www.missingkids.com

“Stranger danger” — the phrase is so pervasive in our culture that it has become part of the lexicon. Well-intentioned adults perpetuate this misguided message; children, who are often literal thinkers, may take the “never talk to strangers” message too far; and the media often uses it as a slogan.

So what does “stranger danger” really mean, and do children benefit from an outdated and incomplete message? Here’s what we have learned about the “stranger-danger” concept.
• Children don’t get it
• Adults don’t practice it
• It doesn’t go far enough in protecting children from potential danger…

Read more of this article on the website of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children here:
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=3581



Media inquiries can be directed to the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station Watch Commander, Lieutenant (562) 466-5400.

Sgt. Andrew Ruiz
Norwalk Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
12335 Civic Center Drive, Norwalk, CA. 90650
(562) 863-8711
www.lasd.org


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Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
(323) 267-4800
www.lasd.org


Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department