Michigan Removes 20,000 Sex Offenders From Registry, Including Larry Nassar
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 1
Michigan Removes 20,000 Sex Offenders From Registry, Including Larry Nassar
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 1
Summary
More than 20,000 people — including former sports doctor Larry Nassar — were removed from Michigan’s public sex offender registry last month, state police said.
The purge followed a Sept. 9 Michigan Supreme Court ruling that offenders cannot be required to register under 2011 or 2021 versions of the law for crimes committed before those changes took effect.
State police said anyone whose offense predates 2011 was taken off the list even if sentencing came later, a category that includes Nassar, who was convicted in 2017.
Eaton County prosecutors said the ruling is "deeply concerning" because some offenders still in prison, including Nassar, could eventually leave custody without any requirement to report their residence.
The decision arose from a lawsuit by Eddie Lee Smith, and while lawmakers cannot reverse the court ruling, they could try to craft new legislation to restore some offenders to the database.