Residents near Houston are afraid and outraged after discovering a man playing Santa Claus, inviting children to sit on his lap, is a registered sex offender.
The part that's making them angry the most is there's nothing they can do about it because it's not against the law in Texas.
The uproar began when someone snapped a picture of the Santa at a fast-food restaurant last Saturday.
The Santa is 54-year-old Norman Burbank. According to KPRC-TV, he received a 12 year prison sentence for the sexual assault of an 11-year-old boy in 1998 in Ohio.
Burbank recently moved to Texas and worked at a McDonald's.
Officers arrived at the restaurant, put him in handcuffs, and questioned. Police released him after discovering he wasn't breaking the law.
"Unless you are on parole or probation that includes a stipulation that you not be around children younger than 17, I think our viewers would be shocked to know there is no legal prohibition, no law to a convicted sex offender playing Santa," said legal analyst Brian Wice.
Burbank refused to talk about the incident to KPRC-TV.
Parents are shocked.
"I had no idea about that. That's very, very scary," said Savannah Housy of Baytown.
Sex Offender Allowed to Play Santa at Texas Fast-Food Restaurant - KTUL.com - Tulsa, Oklahoma - News, Weather & Sports
The part that's making them angry the most is there's nothing they can do about it because it's not against the law in Texas.
The uproar began when someone snapped a picture of the Santa at a fast-food restaurant last Saturday.
The Santa is 54-year-old Norman Burbank. According to KPRC-TV, he received a 12 year prison sentence for the sexual assault of an 11-year-old boy in 1998 in Ohio.
Burbank recently moved to Texas and worked at a McDonald's.
Officers arrived at the restaurant, put him in handcuffs, and questioned. Police released him after discovering he wasn't breaking the law.
"Unless you are on parole or probation that includes a stipulation that you not be around children younger than 17, I think our viewers would be shocked to know there is no legal prohibition, no law to a convicted sex offender playing Santa," said legal analyst Brian Wice.
Burbank refused to talk about the incident to KPRC-TV.
Parents are shocked.
"I had no idea about that. That's very, very scary," said Savannah Housy of Baytown.
Sex Offender Allowed to Play Santa at Texas Fast-Food Restaurant - KTUL.com - Tulsa, Oklahoma - News, Weather & Sports