WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Conway proposes sweeping changes to deal with internet predators

Conway proposes sweeping changes to deal with internet predators

By Janelle MacDonald
WAVE 3 Investigator

LOUISVILLE (WAVE) -- WAVE 3 continues to follow through on a promise we made to you last year involving bullying online. It came up when we told you the story of a local family devastated by the issue. We promised to follow efforts to make it illegal. WAVE 3 Investigator Janelle MacDonald reports it is making a comeback this week as part of sweeping proposed changes to how Kentucky fights internet predators.

Mark Neblett says, "Rachel Neblett is my daughter. She was bullied on the internet, in my mind basically stalked. They threatened to kill her and she committed suicide (in) 2006."

WAVE 3 viewers may remember Rachel Neblett.

"She was 17 years old," says Neblett.

If her father and Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway have their way, everyone will benefit from what happened to her.

Conway says, "This is groundbreaking legislation."

Wednesday, the Attorney General stood firmly behind a proposed bill that would explicitly make cyber stalking a crime.

He says, "What we're making clear is that the internet and cyber tools can be used to commit the crime of stalking."

It's now part of House Bill 367, which will have wide-reaching effect on those using technology to prey on Kentucky kids. Those are the criminals Louisville Metro Police Lt. Thomas Dreher tracks every day.

"They mentioned the fact that, 'well Kentucky didn't have real strong laws against internet predators and that's what drew us to Kentucky,'" Dreher said.

In addition to cyberstalking, the proposed law would allow cops to charge people for soliciting decoys online, the sort of thing made famous by Dateline NBC's "To Catch A Predator."  They used to only be able to charge them with attempt to solicit.

It would also make it a crime for sex offenders to use sites like MySpace or Facebook, a Class D felony for the first offense, Class C after that.

Conway says, "That's where I draw the line is when they're trying to solicit kids."

It would also take those registered e-mail addresses of sex offenders and make it so you could search for them in a database.

Conway says, "A tool to allow parents to go to this registry and say, 'My child is getting an e-mail from such and such email address let me double check it against the registry.'"

Wednesday, the bill made it out of committee and will now go before the full House.

Conway says lawmakers can't afford not pass it.

"This is an issue that parents throughout the Commonwealth; they don't want to hear Democrat or Republican on this issue. They just want to know that we get it," said Conway.

In addition to supporting this bill, the Attorney General says he will still make good on a campaign promise to create an Internet Crimes Division. He says he realizes there are budget concerns but will shift things around because he thinks keeping up with online crime trends is that important.

Online Reporter:  Janelle MacDonald

Online Producer: Charles Gazaway