Ted Oberg Investigates

Alleged HIV-infected child rapist not living where registered

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

But an ABC-13 investigation found that it's virtually impossible to monitor all the registered sex offenders living in Texas' largest city

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Registered sex offender David Richard Wilson, who officials say sexually assaulted a 14-year-old and a two-year-old, allegedly infecting them both with HIV and herpes, was not living where he was registered, an ABC-13 investigation has found.

And ABC-13 also found that it's virtually impossible to monitor all of the registered sex offenders living in Texas' largest city.

Houston is home to 6,167 sex offenders, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Tap/click here to search the Texas Public Sex Offender Registry

And while the Houston Police Department has a compliance unit to make sure sex offenders live where they say, there are just four officers dedicated to making those checks, according to a department spokesman.

That's more than 1,500 sex offenders per officer.

Police officials say they bring in other officers to do more aggressive checks around Halloween, but said they simply can't do constant surveillance on so many people. And, indeed, the law does not require it.

Wilson's name was posted on the state's sex offender registry in 2004 when he was convicted of sexually assaulting another 14-year-old girl.

He was sentenced to four years in prison, but instead of doing time was given deferred adjudication which is similar to probation. Experts say deferred adjudication is common and does allow for some monitoring.

By 2005, though, officials found that Wilson did not follow the rules of the deferred adjudication, such as failing to show that he was trying to find employment, failing to live in a specific location and failing to pay fines, records show.

He was sent to prison to serve out his full term.

But soon after he was out, in 2009, Wilson was sentenced to another six months after being convicted of failure to register as a sex offender.

He was released after completing his sentence in January of 2010.

As here's a key problem when it comes to monitoring sex offenders: As far as state law is concerned, Wilson's debt to society was paid. And there were no conditions on Wilson when he got out, except to register as a sex offender and to live where he was registered.

Instead of living where he was registered, though, authorities said Wilson was living in an apartment with the 14-year-old, her mother, reportedly Wilson's girlfriend, his two-year-old niece who he's accused of assaulting, and Wilson's own mother.

Wilson's niece, who law enforcement officials said is also diagnosed with chlamydia, is now in foster care. A trial is set for next month on her custody, on whether she'll go back to her family or remain in CPS care.

The investigation that led to Wilson's arrest began when the infant was brought to a hospital because of a suspicious growth on her genitals.

Because of the infections, doctors had to perform reconstruction surgery on the child, authorities said.

Houston police are getting calls from people who may have had sexual contact with Wilson or know someone who did. Police say he claims to have had sex with "numerous other people."