(Editor’s note: The real name of the mother and sex offender in this story are not used to protect the identity of a minor.)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Anna’s daughter was 3 years old, she decided to talk to her about what an inappropriate interaction with a man looked like.

Anna tried her best to explain to her what a “good touch” and “bad touch” was, and warned her daughter it was inappropriate to sit on a man’s lap.

She had this conversation with her young daughter not because she wanted to, but because her daughter’s grandfather had recently been arrested for molesting a minor.

He was charged with second-degree sexual conduct against a child, endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree sexual abuse. He went on the New York State Sex Offender Registry as a level 1 offender.

The grandfather had molested a 12-year-old girl he knew on numerous occasions over the summer of 2005. He served in state prison from 2009 until he was granted parole in 2011.

Several years after his release, his son, Anna’s estranged husband, returned to Staten Island and began living with his parents.

Amid an ongoing custody battle between the two, over the summer, Anna’s daughter wound up living with the grandfather and her father.

About six months later, Anna’s her worst nightmare came true.

In December, she received a call from her estranged husband telling her his father “did it again.”

The sex offender showed a picture of his genitals to his granddaughter. He was arrested and charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17, a misdemeanor offense.

A temporary order of protection was issued and the grandfather was released on his own recognizance. Anna says he is no longer in the home.

Over the years, Anna made it clear to the Island’s Family Court that her daughter was not to be left alone with her paternal grandparents, and the court acknowledged he was registered sex offender, according to court documents obtained by the Advance.

She’s upset that despite her warning, Family Court allowed her daughter to live in the same home as a sex offender.

When the grandfather went on the sex offender registry in 2011, he initially was not supposed to have any contact with children under 18 years old unless under the supervision of another adult.

But once his supervision ended in 2013, those stipulations went away.

“[Family court] wrapped my daughter in a bow and sent her into the arms of a predator and that was OK to everybody until something happened,” the mom said. “I’d like to see the New York State Registry be more responsible for still continuing to monitor people’s statuses after they’re off parole, and give someone some type of clear guideline on what is supposed to happen when that person is no longer under supervision.”

The New York State Unified Court System declined to comment on any aspect of the case because it is a pending criminal matter.

OFFENDERS FREE TO LIVE WHERE THEY WANT ONCE OFF SUPERVISION

Once a sex offender, of any level, is no longer under any form of supervision, parole or probation, the Sex Offender Registry Act (SORA) does not say where they can or cannot live, said Janine Kava, a spokeswoman at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Service (DCJS).

Kava said that without a local law restricting where a sex offender can live once they are off supervision, there are no residency restrictions under SORA.

The levels of sex offenders vary. Level 1 offenders are considered “low-risk” of re-offending, and in New York, their names cannot be seen on the public registry. Instead, you have to call a hotline to confirm they are on it.

Level 2 sex offenders are considered “medium risk” of re-offending, while level 3 offenders are considered “high risk” of re-offending, and their names are available on a public database.

In New York, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) monitors sex offenders who are under community supervision and parole.

Once sex offenders are off supervision, local police agencies step in to monitor offenders to ensure they are in compliance with the law when they are no longer under supervision.

Kava said the registry only serves as a source of information to make the public aware of offenders and has no role in actually monitoring them.

CITY’S UNIT CAN ONLY WARN A HOME THAT OCCUPANT IS AN OFFENDER

In New York City, the police department’s Sex Offender Monitoring Unit (SOMU) monitors every sex offender who moves to the city.

SOMU’s head, Lt. Craig Nilsen, said if a child is in the same home as a sex offender, SOMU can only warn the home’s co-habitants that the person moving in is a registered offender.

Even when a child is in a home with a sex offender, Nilsen said SOMU will only check on that home if there is an allegation that the sex offender did something improper to that minor.

”It’s entirely up to the occupants of that house to decide whether they want [the sex offender] there,” Nilsen said. “There is no rule that could be enforced that he can’t live with children.”

Although Anna said the grandfather is no longer in the home, she fears he could return and no one would know.

When the Advance initially called SOMU and asked the office about how the unit monitors sex offenders, the officer, who declined to provide their name, said: “There’s 9,000 sex offenders [in New York City], it’s nearly impossible to check every single person.”

Nilsen insisted the agency conducts an investigation into any tip it receives about a sex offender.

As of Jan. 4, Nilsen said there were 8,475 registered sex offenders living in New York City. About 2,000 of them were level 3 offenders.

Of the 380 registered sex offenders living on Staten Island counted by the registry as of Dec. 4, more than 47 percent of them were level 1 offenders.

ACS INVESTIGATING THE CASE

The city’s Administration for Children’s Services said it has launched an investigation into the case, but declined to answer questions about whether the agency plays a role in monitoring when minors live with sex offenders and whether they step in when it is requested that minors are not to be left alone with a sex offender who lives under the same roof.

“Our top priority is protecting the safety and wellbeing of all children in New York City. We are investigating this case,” said ACS spokeswoman Chanel Caraway.

A source close to the ACS case said the family was on the agency’s radar, however, because of the grandfather’s status and the NYPD’s guidance that there were no restrictions on where he could live, there was not much the agency could do to intervene.

The source also said ACS will work with the NYPD to investigate a home situation that involves a minor if a report is made, however, the source was unsure whether the agency automatically steps in to check on a home when a minor is living with a sex offender.

For now, her daughter is still living with her father.

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