slugshooter Posted May 8, 2005 Report Share Posted May 8, 2005 Sex Offender's Suicide Raises Questions By ALLEN G. BREED Associated Press Writer OCALA, Fla. (AP) -- For nearly four years, Chuckie Claxton lived anonymously amid the gated horse pastures and moss-draped oaks of the Florida Orange Groves subdivision. Then the crimes of others drew new attention to his own. In the statewide outrage over the arrests of sex offenders in the separate killings of two young girls, somebody in the Groves went to the state police Web site to see if any sex offenders were living in the neighborhood. That person - authorities don't know who - found an entry about Claxton's molestation of a young girl 15 years ago, printed it out on bright yellow paper and blanketed the neighborhood with dozens of fliers. The poster didn't mention that the 5-foot-9, 135-pound Claxton relied on a wheelchair, that police no longer considered him a serious threat and that he had no further sex offenses. But the flier's creator saw fit to add something incendiary. At the bottom of the page, in bold block letters, were the words "CHILD RAPIST." Four days after the fliers appeared, 38-year-old Chuckie Claxton was found dead, an empty bottle of scotch, a bag of pills and one of the posters beside him. "This pushed him over the edge," his grieving father says. Florida is a state suddenly preoccupied with the notion of sexual deviates lurking in scary proximity to children. Volusia County is closing school bus stops near the homes of registered offenders. Miami Beach is considering nearly half-mile buffer zones around schools to essentially ban sex offenders from the city. And Monday, Gov. Jeb Bush signed legislation allowing lifelong electronic monitoring of certain sexual predators. In all this flurry, Claxton's suicide has cast a gray shadow over what to many is a black-and-white issue. It has raised the question of how far people should be allowed to go to protect their children from sex offenders - and whether a sex offender can ever fully pay his debt to society. Marion County is nestled in north-central Florida, halfway between Orlando and Gainesville. It is the home of some of the nation's top thoroughbred horse farms. It is also home to 550 of the state's nearly 30,000 registered sex offenders. One of them was Clovis Ivan Claxton III. The middle of three boys, Claxton was born in Miami. His father was serving with the Army in Vietnam, so his grandfather gave him the name he had given his second son. The father went by Chuck. The boy preferred Chuckie. A flu vaccination at age 10 led to a viral infection that put the avid Cub Scout into a coma. He awoke to a world of wheelchairs and leg braces, of seizures and epilepsy and no bladder control - a world, Jane and Chuck Claxton say, in which mentally he would be forever a boy. In 1991, prosecutors in Tacoma, Wash., charged the then-24-year-old Claxton with two counts of first-degree child rape. Police say Claxton took his caretaker's 6-year-old daughter up to the attic on several occasions, had oral sex with her and forced her to perform oral sex on him. "He told her it was a secret and not to tell," prosecutors wrote in an affidavit. Claxton's lawyer remembers him as slow and unable to focus, though not legally incompetent. Claxton pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of first-degree child molestation and was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Following his release, Claxton had twice-monthly sessions with a therapist. "He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of avoiding contact with children," psychologist Sally Wing wrote to corrections officials in 1994. "His offense appeared to be opportunistic, rather than one involving a cyclical pattern of offending." In late 2001, the family moved to Florida. They bought a spacious stucco and stone ranch house just outside Ocala and created an apartment for their son, connected to the main house by a door through the kitchen. There he could play his Alabama and Shania Twain CDs, watch his favorite baseball player, Ken Griffey Jr., and indulge his love of wolves. He had wolf blankets, wolf throw pillows, wolf paintings, even a miniature wolf fountain. Despite constant struggles with alcohol and drugs, Chuckie Claxton was a "good kid" with a kind heart, his father says. Claxton didn't make many friends in the neighborhood, but he met people through Internet chat rooms. Starved for attention, he was often taken advantage of. "He'd buy them dinner. He'd buy them beer. He'd buy them anything they wanted," his father says. "Anything to fit in." But even that wasn't enough. In January, he overdosed on alcohol, pills and cocaine. He was in a coma for a week. "We thought he was brain dead, but he came out of it," his father says. "A little worse for wear, even slower than he was before." In recent months, things began looking up. After years of fruitless applications, Medicaid had finally authorized a motorized three-wheeled scooter for Claxton. Whereas before a trip to the mailbox left him exhausted, he could now ride around the neighborhood without asking his parents for help. "He was so happy," his father says. Until April 18. Claxton and his mother were returning from the grocery that afternoon when they noticed a bright yellow poster on a telephone pole near their home. On it were his mug shot, his description, address and arrest history. Claxton had long since come to grips with his offender status. His parents say he would often volunteer the information to new acquaintances. Following the recent high-profile killings of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford and 13-year-old Sarah Lunde, Sheriff Ed Dean instituted a program of monthly face-to-face visits with all registered offenders. Deputies had checked in on Claxton in late March; the visit went well. But seeing the poster made him livid. "Why are they doing this?" he asked his parents. "I don't bother anybody." They ripped it down. But the following day, Claxton saw another flier while riding his scooter down the road - this one with the "CHILD RAPIST" warning. "That's not true, Mom," Jane Claxton recalls him shouting. Distraught, Claxton called the sheriff's office, concerned that his neighbors were "out to possibly harm him" and saying he "just wanted to end it all." Claxton was involuntarily committed, but was released after about 12 hours with a prescription for anxiety medication. In the meantime, more fliers had begun showing up in neighborhood newspaper boxes. That evening, a friend came over to comfort Claxton. What the Claxtons didn't know was that the friend had taken their son to buy a half-gallon bottle of scotch - and that after he fell asleep, she had left. On April 21, around 6:30 a.m., Chuck Claxton went to make sure his son was getting ready; he had an appointment to be fitted with new braces for his painfully twisted ankles. He found his son lying on his right side, fully clothed. "He was cold." On the day Claxton called the sheriff's office, County Commissioner Randy Harris introduced a proposal to put up metal signs in neighborhoods where sexual offenders and predators live. In their anger and frustration, the Claxtons lashed out at Harris, accusing him of whipping up a kind of sexual "McCarthyism" that contributed to their son's death. Harris - a three-term Republican with a Christian flag on his desk, the Ten Commandments on his office wall and a "Choose Life" license plate on his pickup - says Claxton's death was tragic. But his compassion extends only so far. "If anyone construes him a victim, he's a victim of his own circumstance," he says, citing Claxton's crimes in Tacoma. "I believe that Mr. Claxton had prior emotional and psychological issues that had far more to do with his death than these signs." But attorney Antoni Froehling, who represented Claxton in his criminal case, finds it all too foreseeable. Froehling has a problem with a system that outs sex offenders but not burglars, drug dealers or murderers, and he believes this kind of public branding only makes it harder for sex offenders to reintegrate into society. "I don't see any evidence that it has any impact," Froehling says, "other than to make the gap-toothed rednecks of the world feel better about themselves." Carolyn Atwell-Davis, director of legislative affairs for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, says what happened in the Claxton case was "dangerously close" to vigilantism. "The fact of the matter is, they will live in our communities," she says. "There aren't enough spaces in prison. ... So we must look at the best approaches to dealing with this instead of giving in to hysteria." Less than a week after Claxton's death, sheriff's officers fanned out across the county with fliers warning people of sex offenders in their neighborhoods - so citizens wouldn't again take matters into their own hands. Tina Teegarden was shocked when Lt. Fred Chisholm showed up at her horse farm and told her the 36-year-old man who'd recently moved in next door was on probation for indecent assault on a minor. While lamenting Claxton's suicide, Teegarden approves of the leafleting. "I deal with animals all the time," she says, "and we castrate them." Officials say whoever created the flier tampered with a state form, a first-degree misdemeanor. Dean has processed the unauthorized Claxton fliers for fingerprints and intends to prosecute. Chuck Claxton was initially eager to have someone held accountable for the fliers. But now he'd just as soon they let it go. "I forgive whoever did it," he says, choking back tears. "You meant well. I guess you meant well. You didn't know him." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. i just love a happy ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. He killed himself. He had a history with drugs and alcohol to the point he had been in a coma prior to killing himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyj987 Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. He forced a six year old to perform oral sex on him! I have NO sympathy for the guy. His family, yes, but not him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [ QUOTE ] 24-year-old Claxton with two counts of first-degree child rape. Police say Claxton took his caretaker's 6-year-old daughter up to the attic on several occasions, had oral sex with her and forced her to perform oral sex on him. [/ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] He forced a six year old to perform oral sex on him! I have NO sympathy for the guy. His family, yes, but not him. [/ QUOTE ] BINGO!!! He should have taken himself out sooner!!! As a father of a six year old little girl, this enrages me to no end! I have no sympathy for him what so ever, I too have sympathy for his family for what he put them through! He was a MONSTER!!! My question to you Slug why shouldn't this have happen? The TRUTH HURTS I GUESS! He committed the crime and apparently got away with it as far as I am concern. Wheelchair or not, he should have been put away for life! He's lucky it wasn't my daughter, but it still should not have happened! The molestation of that young girl that is!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. You're right sluggo, this shouldn't have happened. That sick disguting pathetic excuse for a person shouldn't have been allowed to breathe after what he did to that helpless defenseless 6yr old child. As I typed this, I am watching Montell, guess what the topic is??? They're talking to a family who's daughter was molested. Guess what, the daughter feels it was her fault she was molested!!!!!!! The dad ended up shooting the molester, nad again he daughter feels it is her fault. The perp got a sentence of 5.5 years, only spent 2. The dad spent 3 yrs in jail, for defending his family. The really sad part here, the police said it may be a week before the perp could be arrested, who also had threatened to kill the girl if she told anyone. partially deleted Anyone EVER touches my kids, god have mercy on them, because I won't!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwood Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. Looks like Sluggo is still falling on the wrong side of the fence. I have three daughters, if that guy had done this to one of my daughters, he would have never lived long enough to take his own life. I hope that he enjoys rotting in H-E double L. Elwood partially deleted Hi to all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. Well hello Elwood!!!!! Where the heck you been man, we've missed you!!!!! Hope things are good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbonhunter Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. I hope they do punish the person who did this, one law breaker, trying to hurt another. Not to sypathetic for the guy...but I am for the family, anyone can go online and find these lists, have no right to publiicly humiliate the family. [ QUOTE ] I have three daughters, if that guy had done this to one of my daughters, he would have never lived long enough to take his own life. [/ QUOTE ] ya hear that line alot...no one ever seems to follow through on it. alot of fist pumping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [ QUOTE ] ya hear that line alot...no one ever seems to follow through on it. [/ QUOTE ] When you have kids Aaron it will be different. I WILL follow through with it, if it would ever happen to my daughter. THAT YOU CAN BET ON! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwood Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. Hey Gator, good to see that you are still around also. I also see that the same people that will argue with a no smoking sign at the gas pump are still around. Aaron I think that you will change your tune when you finally have something that you love more than yourself. Till then please do not try to predict how I will react to someone trying to harm or has hurt my family. god help their soul is all I can say. Elwood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slugshooter Posted May 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [ QUOTE ] Sometimes I wonder about a person who defends queers, and is now defending a convicted CHILD MOLESTER [/ QUOTE ] I wonder about people too Gator, I wonder how Americans can have so much contempt and hatred for fellow Americans. I in now way defended this guys actions. Please tell me where I did, cause you won't find a defense anywhere. It's just the old tricks of the ultra-cons on here putting words in my mouth. This guy paid his debt to society, was in a wheelchair, was living a quiet existence, tried to keep himself straight, and some IGNORANT FOOL took it upon themselves to post flyers all over the neighborhood about this guy of who they obviously had no knowledge of. This person should be prosecuted for misuse of a government document, like the Sherriff said, and prosecuted for wrongful death. You guys can think what you like about me, I couldn't give a rats **** what anyone on here thinks about me. Until you have lived in my shoes for awhile ya'll don't know the first thing about me and what I have been through in my life. If you did, maybe you wouldn't be so quick to judge the type of person I am instead of talking a bunch of crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwood Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [/ QUOTE ] You guys can think what you like about me, I couldn't give a rats **** what anyone on here thinks about me. [/ QUOTE ] partially deleted Have a nice day Elwood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slugshooter Posted May 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [ QUOTE ] [/ QUOTE ] You guys can think what you like about me, I couldn't give a rats **** what anyone on here thinks about me. [/ QUOTE ] That is way you have over 2500 post defending yourself and blaming everyone else for your problems. I hoped you had changed. I guess not Have a nice day Elwood [/ QUOTE ] Not sure where you have been Elwood, don't really care. I don't and have never blamed anyone for my problems. That's what everyone on here, including yourself, have labeled onto me and put into my mouth. I defend the people that noone on here seems to care about. You see, I care about others more than I care about myself. Unfortunately, on here, that makes me a communist as well as mnay other things. I don't need confirmation from anyone as to who I am or what I believe in when noone on here knows the first thing about me. And since you have disappeared for awhile from here and don't really know what you are talking about as far as my 2500+ posts, you would have found that I am not as liberal as everyone assumed I was when I first started coming in here. Just go back to whatever rock you were under. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwood Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. Dude I think I will stay around for a little while and keep you spun up. You make it really and it is quit entertaining. On a serious note, why do you insist on defending trash, molestors and and homosexuals. They are the ones that do not give a rats--- about you unless you had something they could take. They also made the choice to live the life they are in. I never hear you defending or trying to help the the innocent or victims of crimes, just the criminals. Elwood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. I had to put edited by buckee, just so you know I'm still here Elwood...LOL You boys be nice to each other eh. (it was actually quiet around here for a while) "Paid his debt to society" ... As far as I'm concerned, as soon as they let child molesters and rapists out of prison, they have failed to pay their debt. Being in a wheelchair, hardly makes me have sympathy for a convicted child molester. I wonder how much kiddy porn he had laying around his place. I guess his family would have cleaned that up for him though and no one would be the wiser. I feel sorry for any family members of these perverts. I have 2 daughters ....enough said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [ QUOTE ] This guy paid his debt to society [/ QUOTE ] Tell that to the little girl he molested and forced to have oral sex with. A debt paid to society, I dont think so. What did he do to her life and her families life? The action of the person hanging the flier wrong right whatever, he killed himself probably due to the guilt he felt from his own actions. Dont think the person hanging the flier had any mal intents. The purpose was to inform people, which is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyj987 Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. Elwood...great to have you back, bud. Just remember to fight nice. LOL I have to say this....nothing slugshooter said was in defense of this guy's actions as far as I can tell. He stated something that (though unforunately so) is legally accurate. He DID indeed pay his debt to society---even though 27 months was an absolute joke. Granted, weak laws and weaker judges seem to make that debt easier and easier to clear these days. He did go through the system, did serve his time (albeit, no time is enough) and all of that. Fortunately for Floridians, child molesters will be serving a LOT more time and electronically monitored...kudos to Gov. Jeb Bush. Can anyone say "Jeb in '08!"? Like I said earlier, I really do not have sympathy for the child molester. The person that posted signs should be prosecuted for any law he violated, regardless of how well-intentioned he might have been. There are simply right ways and wrong ways to go about things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [ QUOTE ] This guy paid his debt to society [/ QUOTE ] WHAT!!!!! How could you say he paid his debt!!!! When he took himself out, THAT'S WHEN THE DEBT GOT PAID!!!! Like Elwood said to Aaron, wait till you have something you love more than yourself!!! Think about that little girl with the horror she has to grow up with! Wheelchair or not its good he is not alive! I hope he is rotting in H*LL!!!! I have no compassion for anybody with the likes of him. I just wished he would have suffered more than to let himself fall asleep to die un-conscious!!! What he did was next to MURDER Slug! Weather it was my child or not, he should have been allowed to be beaten to death by the public! Too bad the inmates in prison didn't get to him!!! As far as the fliers in the neighborhood, I would really want to know if there was any in my neighborhood! As far as I am concern, they did the public a great service by letting them know there was a CHILD MOLESTER THERE!!!! But then you defend these SCUMBAGS!!! You could care less about the inocent little girl that was marred FOR LIFE!!!!! Your pathetic!!! Just remember this when or if you ever have any children!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. Well sluggo, read the title of your post, enough said. As far as what the people did that lived in the neighborhood, could someone enlighten me as to what was illegal about it? I truly don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohiobucks Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [ QUOTE ] You see, I care about others more than I care about myself [/ QUOTE ] You also seem to care more about a scumbag child molester that took his own life than an innocent 6 year old girl that was sexually molested on several occations! Unbelievable. What kind of response were you looking for with this post slug? Makes me sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeStandBowHunter Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. I hate to beat a dead horse Slugo but people are right in here. You do seem to always defend the "other side" on whatever the case may be I don't hate you Slugo, I actually like you a little bit because you always seem to stand for what you believe in. BUT...HOWEVER....COMMA....you do bring alot of stuff on yourself with some of your posts. I mean, what are you expecting us to say to them As far as this guy....Burn baby burn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbonhunter Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. [ QUOTE ] Aaron I think that you will change your tune when you finally have something that you love more than yourself. Till then please do not try to predict how I will react to someone trying to harm or has hurt my family. god help their soul is all I can say. [/ QUOTE ] LMAO, you dont want me to make predictions on how you will act than dont make assumptions on where my love is. Other wise I'll make whatever prediction i want to make. The very reason this part of the forum is worthless anymore..............chest thumping and tarzan screams...lol oh well as long as everyone is having fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyj987 Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. I'm locking this thread temporarily..will unlock with an explanation shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyj987 Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Re: News From Hometown. Shouldn\'t Have Happened. Some of you aren't going to appreciate this. Frankly, As you can see, I busted out my red pen. I was going to edit/delete a lot more but decided to still show a little restraint...and remind you all again: I will NOT tolerate personal attacks any longer. Perhaps some of you could learn something from slugshooter...with every personal attack he responded in a decent and respectful manner. Likewise, you could learn something from TSBH...this guy disagrees on nearly EVERYTHING with slugshooter, but they are civil in their disagreements--and even comedic in their friendly ribbing of each other. I'm probably going to catch some heat for this, but I frankly don't care. I would hope that most people, like me, come here because they like to see empassioned, intelligent discussion...not mindless attacks on each other. Let's leave the attack dogs to the morons on Capitol Hill. When it gets like that, frankly it's not fun. It's not intellectual in any manner. And it certainly does NOTHING for the image of hunters. Lastly, you certainly won't change anyone's mind to your side of things if all you can do is attack them on a personal level. Now, I hope I don't have to use that red ink for a while... In the words of Fez from That 70's Show...Good Day! (Sorry, it's on TV right now...lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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