For sex offenders, Halloween ain't so fun

So here's one of those things we never really thought about, probably because we aren't too familiar with the world of sex offenders: Officials have been out for the last few days checking up on the addresses of registered sex offenders and making sure they don't have any Halloween decorations up. It's all part of an effort to make sure that the sex offenders have no interaction with trick-or-treaters — kids, candy, gotcha — and KHOU went along with a Harris County corporal recently to check out addresses in the East End.

“This is an absolute no-no,” [Harris County Precinct 6 Cpl. Jarrel] Caldwell chided as he walked towards a large plastic Santa Claus on one offender’s front porch. “Even though it’s not Christmas season yet this should not be on his porch.”

The offender was not home. But Caldwell said the man’s probation officer would be notified.

The probation officer would be notified that it's not time for Santa yet? Or that the offender has a bizarre sense of what's an appropriate Halloween decoration? Actually, the nature of the decoration doesn't matter: No decorations that might entice children are allowed. (We wonder if severed limbs on meat hooks would count?)

Turns out the rule even applies to addresses where sex offenders are registered, but aren't living anymore. Caldwell visited one house on Canal Street where an offender was registered, but the guy's uncle said he moved out a couple of weeks ago — and even so, his registration means the uncle will have to take down all his Halloween decorations, Caldwell said. Texas isn't alone in enforcing the no-decorations rule, according to Channel 11: Tennessee also bans decorations at sex offenders' houses, and in New York, offenders have a curfew from 3 p.m. on Halloween until 6 a.m. Nov. 1.