Neighbourhood on alert; Victim delivers flyers warning of pedophile's release from jail

Terri Saunders

Friday, May 18, 2007 - 08:00

Local News - Residents of a city neighbourhood are outraged a convicted pedophile will be living near them next month.

James Lewis pleaded guilty last summer to indecently assaulting Jamie Marsolais over a four-month period in the 1980s when Marsolais was nine years old.

On June 11, Lewis will be released from jail after having spent 118 days behind bars and will live with his brother in a house on Baldwin Avenue.

On Thursday, Marsolais, who is now 35 years old, distributed flyers around Lewis' neighbourhood announcing the convicted sex offender's return.

"It makes me sick to think someone like that is going to be living on our street," said one man, who didn't want to be identified. "Someone needs to get a petition going to get him out of here."

The flyer contains a statement from Marsolais and a copy of an article about Lewis which ran in the Standard-Freeholder May 5.

"I was sexually abused by James Lewis. He is presently in prison for this crime," Marsolais wrote. "My family and I would like to let you know that he will be returning to your neighbourhood."

Some people in the area where Marsolais distributed the flyers suggested Lewis may become the target of acts of violence once his neighbours find out exactly who he is and where he's living.

It's this sort of retaliation which gives experts on community safety some cause for concern.

"I'm very sympathetic to what (Marsolais) is feeling," said Elizabeth White, director of the St. Leonard's Society of Canada, an organization which promotes humane and informed justice policy in order to foster safe communities. "But the question that always comes to my mind is whether a victim may be misguided in their intentions and their actions may result in an increased risk for future crimes to be committed in their community."

Marsolais insists he is not seeking any sort of revenge or retribution but rather wants to provide the community with information he believes they should have.

"This is not about me, or the fact I might think he (Lewis) got a light sentence," said Marsolais. "This is about letting people know he's going to be living here in order to help them protect their children."

Marsolais, his son and his girlfriend spent Thursday afternoon delivering close to 200 flyers to homes up and down Baldwin Avenue. He said they would continue to deliver them to homes on streets both east and west of Baldwin Avenue over the next couple of days.

"I feel like I have to do something," said Marsolais. "I want parents to read this and talk to their children and do what they can to protect them."

Residents of the area also suggested anyone who lives with Lewis or associates with him will also be ostracized in the neighbourhood. White said it's not uncommon for a convicted sex offender's friends and family members to also find themselves being cast out by society.

"They will become a target of the fear people are feeling," said White. "People sometimes forget those people with whom the offender is living will also be targeted, particularly if there's publicity surrounding the offender's return to the community."

Marsolais said while he knows some people will argue Lewis has paid his debt to society, he thinks the protection of children trumps Lewis' rights to live anonymously.

"I'm sorry but it's more important to keep our kids safe than it is to ensure his rights are not being violated," said Marsolais.

So far, residents of the neighbourhood agree.

"I don't care what the judge in his case said," said the unidentified man. "He should be kept in prison for the rest of his life."