By Matthew McGevna
, given the additional discovery of two more convicted sexual predators living just down the road at another hotel not far from John Street School in Franklin Square.
According to the New York State Sex Offender Registry, the Capri Motor Inn on Hempstead Turnpike is the new home of Donald Lockwood and James McKee. Lockwood, 61, was convicted in 2003 for sexually abusing a 51-year-old woman. According to the registry, he physically overpowered the woman, threatened her life and beat her with his fists and a club. He served time in state prison. He is categorized as a Level 2 sex offender, meaning he poses less of a threat to repeat a similar crime than would a Level 3 offender.
Residents are more concerned about McKee, who is a Level 3 offender. The 48-year-old was convicted in April of 2005 of sexually abusing two boys, ages 6 and 7. According to the registry, McKee knew the victims, and was guilty of sexual contact and deviate sexual intercourse. He served two years.
Residents are not only worried about the danger posed to children living in the immediate area, but the proximity of the Capri to the John Street School. ³That is the most disgusting hotel in this entire area,² said one resident who works for the Franklin Square School District. ³I thought they were going to close it down.²
According to Thomas Dolan, superintendent of the Franklin Square School District, neither he nor anyone in his office was ever notified that the two men had taken up residence at the Capri. The elementary school is a 10-minute walk from the motel. ³We¹ve received no notification at all this entire year,² Dolan said. ³There is a big flaw in the system. They should be notifying people who live in the area, not just the district the offenders live in.²
Christina Teisch, principal of the nearby St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Hempstead, said she is notified by letter whenever a sex offender moves into the area. St. Thomas is within the West Hempstead School District.
Residents remain skeptical that sex offenders are moving into hotels like the Capri and the Courtesy by mere coincidence. They believe the county Department of Social Services is helping to place them, while moving displaced families in need of public assistance into the same hotels. A visit to the Capri revealed a boy of around 8 standing on the balcony, absorbed in what appeared to be a hand-held game.
Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Civic Association, and other civic leaders have made headlines recently for their efforts to shut down and sell the Courtesy, on Hempstead Avenue. Norton said that although the Courtesy is the group¹s highest priority, they plan to start putting pressure on the owners of the Capri to screen their clientele.
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