(Douglas Atherton)

By Matt Sutkoski, Free Press Staff Writer

December 16, 2005

A convicted sex offender who city and state officials say is dangerous is to be released from jail Monday and is expected to move to West Canal Street in Winooski.

The city is warning residents in Winooski's west end of Douglas Atherton, who Winooski police said has refused sex offender psychological treatment, has shown no remorse and is at high risk of committing another sexual offense against children. Police added that Atherton tries to befriend children and their parents, and residents should be careful.

The west end is an area roughly to the west of Malletts Bay Avenue and north of the Winooski River.

City workers distributed fliers in the area Thursday afternoon announcing Atherton's expected move to the neighborhood. More fliers were distributed at a school event Thursday evening. The notice was posted prominently Thursday on Winooski's Web site.

Mayor Clement Bissonnette said the Police Department was inundated by calls from worried residents after word spread through Winooski that Atherton was moving to town. "People are obviously upset that somebody like this is moving into a neighborhood and we have no control over it," Bissonnette said. "I don't want him in Winooski, but our hands are tied."

Bissonnette said a proposed civil commitment law might help. Under civil commitments, the worst offenders would be evaluated before their prison release date. If the offenders are deemed dangerous, they would be held beyond their prison sentence for treatment.

Gov. Jim Douglas said he supports civil commitments. Legislators are studying the proposal.

City Manager Gerry Myers called a community meeting for 2 p.m. today at City Hall. Winooski residents are invited to the meeting to hear more information and to ask questions.

Contact Matt Sutkoski at 660-1846 or
msutkosk@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com

Winooski calls community meeting on sex offender

By John Briggs
Free Press Staff Writer

December 17, 2005
WINOOSKI -- Winooski city officials distributed a bold-print flier designed to draw residents to a community meeting Friday at City Hall.

"A convicted sex offender is being released from prison and is moving to Winooski on Monday," the flier said in capital letters. The man "is characterized by the Department of Corrections as being a high risk to sexually offend children," the flier said, underlining the "high risk" phrase.

The flier worked. Close to 100 residents crowded into council chambers on a snowy afternoon to find out what the sex offender's presence could mean to them and their children.

"I'm here because I want to know where the sex offender will be living," said Richard Racine, 69, as his friends and neighbors crowded into the room before the meeting. "People have to know where they're at, to keep an eye on them, to keep them under control."

Douglas Atherton, 42, will be released Monday after 12 years in prison and told Department of Corrections officials he intends to live on West Canal Street in Winooski.

Speaking through officials at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington Friday, he declined an interview request. He was convicted in 1993 of three counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor. Those charges involved more than one minor boy, according to court documents.

Police investigative affidavits from 1992 provided to the Free Press by Winooski Deputy Police Chief Rich Benoit describe Atherton fondling two 13-year-old and one 8-year-old boy. Atherton lived in the St. George Villa trailer park in St. George at the time.

He also was convicted in 1982 and 1987 of lewd and lascivious conduct with children.

Benoit said the purpose of the meeting was to let residents know Atherton would be living in Winooski as of Monday and to "educate" the public about "what to look for" behaviorally from Atherton, who refused sex-offender treatment while in prison.

The city flier said Atherton "shows no remorse" for his crime and notes that he "is known to befriend children and their parents."

Benoit characterized Atherton's crime as "among the worst" of sex crimes involving children.

"The bottom line is he's untreated," he said. "He's not taken any responsibility for his actions."

"He's a violent man," he told residents.

Benoit said that Atherton, having completed his sentence, will be released without conditions.

"I think he could plan on receiving a lot of attention when he's out in the public view," Benoit said. He said police would make "frequent drive-bys" of Atherton's residence and stop frequently for conversations with him.

"We're asking the public to notify us if he's interacting with children," Benoit said. "Every call, we'll make sure he gets a visit."

Benoit said Atherton had shown a proclivity to "target" young boys. "That a concern for us," he said. "This is a very urban, densely populated area. There is no part of Winooski without children."

Suggestions from public officials to parents that they keep track of where their children are and what they're doing, didn't placate Betsey Racine, Richard Racine's wife.

"You can educate us till the cows come home," she said, "and it isn't going to stop a sex offender from grabbing a child."

Kerry Sleeper, commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety, speaking by telephone from his Waterbury office, said Atherton's "pattern of sexual predation" against children made him an ideal candidate for civil commitment -- a proposal in Vermont that would retain dangerous sexual offenders in state custody after their prison sentences are complete.

"This is precisely the kind of case I've been talking about," Sleeper said. "There is no other mechanism, none, to protect the public, short of civil commitment."

Benoit urged residents to get in touch with legislators and urge that civil commitment legislation be passed. He said Atherton's Winooski address won't be made public. He also cautioned against vigilante action by residents.

"The last thing we want to see is any member of the public taking the law into their own hands," he said. "We don't want to see him singled out in any way in terms of being assaulted.

"On the other hand," he said, "I don't want him in our community."
Contact John Briggs at 660-1863 or
jbriggs@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com.

Sex offender to attend treatment program

By Sam Hemingway
Free Press Staff Writer

December 22, 2005
Convicted child molester Douglas Atherton agreed last week to comply with a federal sex-offender treatment program after refusing to participate in a similar state program during 12 years in prison.

According to documents filed at federal court in Burlington last week, Atherton also agreed to stay away from playgrounds and other places where children congregate, not contact any of his victims and provide his DNA to the federal probation office.

The conditions were attached to a three-year probation deal Atherton accepted as part of his sentence on federal firearms violations. The arrangement is separate from his 1993 state prison sentence for lewd and lascivious conduct with underage boys.

"He is in treatment and will be in treatment," Phil Albertson, chief of the federal probation office in Vermont, said Wednesday. "We anticipate that he will go forward and complete the program."

Albertson's comment came as Atherton checked out of a South Burlington motel Wednesday morning after two nights' stay. Kalsang Ggt, owner of the GGT Tibet Inn on Shelburne Road, asked Atherton to leave after South Burlington police began waging a high-profile effort Tuesday to warn residents of Atherton's presence in the city.

Last week, Atherton backed out of plans to live in Winooski after a similar campaign by Winooski police caused an uproar in that city over the prospect of Atherton's living there.

In both cases, the police said Atherton's status as a "high-risk" sex offender caused them to act as they did. State Corrections officials say Atherton qualifies for the designation because he refused to undergo treatment in prison and showed no remorse for his actions.

Atherton, convicted three times of lewd and lascivious conduct with young boys over the past 23 years, was released from prison Monday after serving the maximum on his 12-year sentence. He is no longer under the supervision of the Corrections Department but is on the state's sex-offender registry and must notify the registry of any change in his address within 72 hours.

Wednesday night, Colchester police said in a news release that Atherton "will be spending at least one night in our community. ... Federal probation officials have reported that Atherton's living arrangement in Colchester may be as short as one night."

Under terms of his federal probation arrangement, Atherton has to report daily to federal probation officials as part of his three-year probation term.

"He is in regular contact with this office, and we are in contact with his family and those around him trying to give him support," Alberton said. "We are endeavoring with him to find a long-term residential situation."

Albertson said he did not know why Atherton had agreed to cooperate with the federal sex offender treatment program after refusing to participate in the state's program.

"Who knows what turned the light on for him," Albertson said. Atherton has no phone number and could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

South Burlington Police Chief Lealand Graham said Wednesday he plans to go ahead with a meeting tonight at 7 at Orchard School that was organized earlier this week when police first learned that Atherton was living in the city.

"We want to provide information about the sex offender registry program," Graham said. "It's a much larger issue than just Douglas Atherton and what to do about him."
Contact Sam Hemingway at 660-1850 or
shemingway@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com