Alabama Shuts down Church's Sex Offender Housing

By Jay Reeves
baynews9
July 1, 2014

http://baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ap/2014/07/01/Alabama_shuts_down_church_s_sex_offender_housing.html

An Alabama pastor says he's shutting down his refuge for convicted sex offenders because of a new law.

Ricky Martin says he doesn't like having to move men out of campers beside his church in rural Chilton County but he has no choice.

Legislators passed a law earlier this year prohibiting convicted sex offenders from living within 300 feet of each other on the same property. It takes effect Tuesday.

Prosecutor C.J. Robinson says he wrote the bill because of complaints and concerns over the large number of registered sex offenders on Martin's property. Robinson says more than 50 men have lived at the camp since 2010.

Martin says he's committed to following the Bible's commands to care for the outcast.