Angry Mob Pelts Man Believed to Be Sex Offender, Police Release Him Due to Lack of Evidence

In 1947, California became the first state in the United States to establish a sex offender registration program. The system is designed to allow government authorities to keep track of the residence and activities of sex offenders. In 1996, the federal government required states to pass legislations mandating public notification of personal information for certain offenders. If a sex offender moves into your neighborhood, you should have the right to know, especially if you have children. It's for peace of mind and to protect your family from potential future incidents. If authorities failed to do so, and a registered sex offender was living across the street without your knowledge, you'd be upset, right? Well one town in Colorado took matters into their own hands after police had not warned them about an alleged sex attacker.

After multiple reports of sexual assaults, residents of Pueblo, Colorado chased down a man they believed to be the attacker, pelting him with rocks and leaving his face blood-covered and mangled, according to ABC News. One of the alleged incidents pertained to the sexual assault of a girl in her home, while the other involved a man of the same description exposing himself to another child. Police later released the man due to lack of evidence.

Residents began their search for a man suspected of the two separate sexual assaults. Alex Pacheco, one of the pursuers, said that after a man matching the description of the suspect had been spotted, all mayhem ensued. The group confronted the man as he turned and fled.

"We went through the right channels in contacting the police but there hasn't been much response," Pacheco said. "We can't wait around any longer without doing something. These are children that this man is after and we can't let any more children get hurt by him."

The angry mob chased him down, surrounded him and punched him repeatedly in the face, said police Captain Tom Rummel.

"The primary officer on the scene said 'get him out of here,'" Rummel said. Police pushed through the crowd and carried the man into a police car before bringing him to the station for questioning. He was not seriously injured.

The 54-year-old man chased down and beaten by the mob did not want to file charges, according to Rummel. "He said folks were reacting to a bad situation and he told the officer, 'I don't want to go that route. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Rummel said that police hadn't taken further action prior to the incident because they only had a vague description of the suspect, who normally wore a bandana over his face.

It's true that residents should be concerned with the presence of sex offenders in their town, especially when there's a suspect on the loose, however perhaps they should leave it to the authorities. Even if little is being done, that doesn't mean they're not doing the best they can. Angry residents and innocent suspects are a dangerous combination.