Forbidden from trick-or-treating: sex offenders gather for mandatory meeting Halloween night

As children dressed as ghosts and goblins began roaming the Bloomington streets Monday, 41 of Monroe County’s convicted sex offenders waited in line at the entrance of the Justice Building. Mandated by their probation or parole officer, they waited to attend a free showing of the 1993 movie “Rudy.”

After passing through the security-guarded metal detector, the offenders lined up again at the information booth and checked in with probation officer Ken Bugler.

Eleven years ago, Bugler, an adult probation officer focusing on sex offenders, started the event “No Trick-or-Treating for Sex Offenders.” The event requires every person in the county on probation, who has committed a sex offense in which the victim was a minor, to meet at the Justice Building on Halloween during Bloomington’s trick-or-treating hours, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For the last four years, sex offenders on parole have also attended the meeting.

The sex offenders mingled in the lobby of the Justice Building while the remainder of the offenders checked in.

Rocky, a 45-year-old man who was incarcerated for a sex offense involving a minor in 2007, spoke positively about the night’s film selection.

“You know, it’s based on a true story of a football player at Notre Dame,” Rocky said. As Rocky spoke, he crossed his arms across his chest and slowly swayed left and right. Rocky got his nickname while he was incarcerated. He spent 13 months in the Monroe County Jail. During this time, other inmates dubbed him Rocky because his anxiety disorders cause him to fidget uncontrollably.

“This is awesome,” a man said to Rocky sarcastically, the hood of his black sweatshirt pulled over his head and barely obscuring a neck tattoo. “It’s Halloween and I’ve gotta watch some goddamn football.”

But Rocky said he likes the movie “Rudy.” He has seen it multiple times. In fact, he  used to own it.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m., Bugler led the sex offenders to a courtroom upstairs, Room 301.

A large glass wall divided the seating into two sections. The room smelled distinctively of male cologne.

At the front of the courtroom was a large flat-screen television, but the distance between it and the seating made it appear small.

While the men were allowed to leave the courtroom to use the restroom and had the option to read a book rather than watch the film, they had to stay in the Justice Building for the three hours.

“The basic purpose is twofold,” Bugler said. “Number one, it gets the guys off the street who have a conviction that put them on the sex offender registry. This would help them to be safe so that if anybody were to make an allegation, they have an actual alibi that they were with their probation officer. It also helps the community by getting those guys off the streets.”

Bugler said in the past he has shown “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “Up” and other films typically directed toward children. He said the purpose of the movie is simply to entertain and they are not picked for any specific reason.

Bugler said the event is to ensure a sexual assault does not happen on Halloween, though he does not recall any sexual assaults occurring on the holiday in the recent past.

“For the most part, they understand and accept it,” Bugler said. “Some of the guys have not been pleased about being here, but again, it’s just a matter of being reported and directed by the order of the court.”

But most of the guys have been with Bugler so many years, he said, that they are used to attending the movie night each Halloween.

Sex offenders are able to skip the meeting if they are unable to attend for medical reasons or they are at work. But if they are at work, Bugler said the probation officers require a statement from their employer explaining that the offender will be working. A probation officer also goes and checks to make sure they are where they say they are.

“I have not had anybody in the years I’ve been doing this not be where they’re supposed to be,” Bugler said. “The order of their probation specifies that they are to report as directed.”

Other than sounds emitted from the television, the dark courtroom was nearly silent. While men frequently passed in front of the television to leave the courtroom and returned with bottles of Coca-Cola, the offenders rarely spoke to one another.

Rocky sat in the back row, his eyes fixated on the television as he rocked back and forth in his seat.

“Wait, throw me off the team? Does that mean I’m on the team?” the film’s title character asked on the screen.

"Yeah kid, you’re on the team,” the coach responded.

As Rudy gave his coach an unexpected hug, the sex offenders laughed. But moments like this were rare.

The room was silent as “Rudy” came to an end.

“Damn, we still have another hour,” one of the offenders said to another.

Bugler flipped on the bright courtroom lights.

“Sir,” an offender said, getting the attention of Bugler. “Smoke break?”

“Nope.”

For nearly another hour, some of the sex offenders stayed in their seats in the courtroom. Others mingled in the lobby directly outside the door. Some spoke with each other, others remained in solitude.

“So, listen,” a man said, pointing out the faint grey facial hair on Rocky’s face. “Are you trying to grow a beard?”

“No, I just forgot to shave this morning,” Rocky said, laughing. “No, just kidding.”

Soon, Bugler said, “Have a good night, gentlemen,” dismissing the group 10 minutes early.

The men began talking again. They walked swiftly down the stairs, past the security, out the front door of the Justice Building and into the dark, Halloween night.

Bugler remained upstairs as everyone left.

“It just went as usual. No incidents and everything went really well, so I was very pleased,” Bugler said.