Alabama officials balk at relocating a Vt. sex offender

MONTPELIER -- A convicted sex offender who planned to move to Alabama after serving his maximum prison sentence won't be going because of the adverse publicity his case has generated, an advocate said.

Douglas Bryant, 51, will be living in Mount Holly until an appropriate home can be found for him in another state, said Pastor Peter Fiske, who had been helping Bryant find a home.

"In the meantime, he is residing in a secure place and is being supervised," Fiske said yesterday."He is not wandering around the state. He is not wandering around the community."

On Wednesday, Vermont State Police issued what it called a public warning that Bryant, who was described as an untreated sex offender considered to be at high risk to commit an offense again, was living in Mount Holly.

Bryant was released from the Southern Vermont Correctional Facility on Tuesday after serving a 10-year sentence for a 1994 rape that took place hours after he was released from jail for kidnapping another woman.

During his time in jail Bryant refused to participate in sex offender treatment programs.

Alabama officials initially said Wednesday that Bryant could not move there because he had not told officials of his plans. They later said Bryant could move to Alabama because he had been released from probation by a Vermont judge. Once in Alabama, he would have had to register as a sex offender.

Fiske of St. Albans is the pastor of The Church at Prison, which works with prison inmates and helps them adjust to life outside. He is the pastor of a church inside the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. His ministry also runs a school for inmates.

Fiske said Bryant had served his time and needed to be able to start a life outside prison or else he would likely commit another crime and be returned to prison.

Bryant was released from prison in March and jailed again in April because he could not provide police with a home address. He had been unable to find a place to live and had been living on the streets.

Fiske said the publicity about Bryant's case had created difficulties for his church and the people who work with him.

"People who work with us are in jeopardy in their communities. It's a real bad thing," Fiske said.

"I am working on at least two or three different options," Fiske said of his efforts to find another place for Bryant to go. "We are trying to get him out of Vermont as soon as possible before any other bad things happen."