Police Help Get Molester Out of Town

Monrovia police said Wednesday that they had raised more than $700 for air fare and expenses to send a high-risk sex offender back to Nevada after neighborhood protesters drove him out.

Reno police detectives said they believe that Aramis Dominguez Linares, a twice-convicted child molester, has arrived in their city, but they had yet to locate him Wednesday.

Linares, 49, was all but chased out of his sister’s Monrovia home earlier this week by angry neighbors who, armed with placards and bullhorns, staged daily protests. They said they felt unsafe with Linares living there, next door to a home that offers licensed day care, across the street from a public park and less than a block from an elementary school.

Residents were notified by Monrovia police under California’s so-called Megan’s Law.

Linares was homeless after he left his sister’s earlier this week, so he called a Monrovia detective for help, police said.

Faced with the prospect of a homeless sex offender roaming the streets, the department agreed to help, said Monrovia Police Chief Joseph Santoro.

First, officials tried to get Linares into a shelter. Santoro said that two homeless missions refused him because they house children, and that a third would let him stay only for five days. The chief said Linares was ineligible for state-run programs because he is not on parole.

So police persuaded a private donor to pay for a one-way flight to Nevada, Santoro said, plus $580 for expenses.

“We say to the people of Nevada: Mr. Linares is your problem. He came from your state. He did the crimes in your state,� Santoro said. “You in fact did nothing and sent him to us, where he has one support group and only one. It just so happens that one support group [his sister] is right next door to a child-care center and the park and the school.�

Santoro added, “We’ve got enough problems in California.�

Reno police were not pleased to hear the news.

“It was so nice of them to send him here,� said Reno Det. Adam Wygnanski, with a tone of sarcasm. “Not much we can do about it. We have the same notification laws here as there and will inform him when we find him.�

Monrovia police placed Linares on a 7:20 p.m. flight Tuesday to Nevada, Santoro said. Linares wanted to return to that state because he has friends and a girlfriend there, the chief added.

“Our Police Department was not content just having this person leave our community,� Councilwoman Lara Blakely said. “We wanted total resolution. We’ve a certain level of compassion.�

Translating an old Cuban proverb, she said, “It’s better to prevent than lament.�

The Cuban-born Linares was released from a Nevada prison Aug. 10 after serving a sentence for molesting a 12-year-old girl in 1992. That crime occurred while he was on parole after another prison term for kidnapping and molesting a Nevada girl in 1979.

Shortly after his latest release, Linares moved into the back unit of his sister’s home in Monrovia and registered his address with police.

They notified the state Justice Department about Linares’ arrival and criminal history. Last Friday, the state classified him as a high-risk sex offender, allowing police to distribute fliers, hold a community meeting and inform the media.

Neighbors then began protesting in front of the West Olive Avenue duplex. Their goal was to drive Linares from the neighborhood, and by Monday they had succeeded.

Santoro said protesters exercised their 1st Amendment rights with “dignity and class.� Critics said well-meaning efforts to warn neighbors can lead to public demonstrations that drive offenders into hiding.

Linares boarded his flight hours after the INS agreed to let him move to Nevada, Santoro said.

The chief complained that the INS has been unable to deport Linares because the U.S. lacks a repatriation agreement with Cuba. “How could you not deport this person to his country of origin, if you can deport him to the city of Monrovia with no conditions?� Santoro asked.