A convicted child molester is living in the same building that houses an Atlanta children's museum. But it is legal because he committed the crime before a state law was enacted.
William Ausbrooks, 46, is living with a relative inside the Museum Tower building on Centennial Olympic Park Drive, directly above Imagine It, a children's museum, Channel 2 Action News reported. The building is across the street from Centennial Olympic Park.
Neighbors in the building told Channel 2 they aren't happy Ausbrooks is living there. But it isn't illegal.
Under Georgia law, anyone who committed a sex crime after June 4, 2003, is restricted as to where they can live. The law states that they cannot live within 1,000 feet of places like schools and playgrounds or anywhere that’s a gathering place for children.
But the same law states that anyone who committed a sex crime before that date does not have the same restrictions and can legally live almost anywhere.
Fulton County records show Ausbrooks committed the crime on May 30, 2003, just five days before that legal deadline, according to the report. Originally charged with child molestation, aggravated child molestation and aggravated sodomy, Ausbrooks pleaded guilty to the child molestation charge and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Ausbrooks was released in March 2010 after serving six years, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
In March, Ausbrooks was arrested for allegedly stealing a laptop from a resident in the same building. He was later released after posting $7,500 bond.
A representative for Imagine It told Channel 2 that museum officials did not know Ausbrooks lived in the building. She said the museum has multiple layers of security in place.
About the Author
