LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — This past week has seen a surge in sexual abuse cases involving children brought to light, including the arrest of Francisco Misajon, a teacher at Innovations International Charter School, the sentencing of former Valley High School football coach Antwone Washington and his girlfriend Jada Cole, and the criminal case against former "Dances with Wolves" actor Nathan Chasing Horse.
With three cases in just one week, it might make you wonder: how does the state track offenders — and why don't they always show up on the registry?
WATCH | Understanding Nevada's Sex Offender Registry
The Nevada Department of Public Safety is in charge of managing the state's Public Sex Offender Registry. This allows members of the public to see who is a registered sex offender in their community, and find out information about them.
Chelsea Ross of the Nevada Department of Public Safety told Channel 13 they're "the central filing cabinet for all sex offender registrations."
Nevada's registry has a three-tier system.
Tier Level Three is for offenders who have been convicted of a sex crime serious enough that they have to stay registered for life. That includes sexual assault and rape convictions.
Tier Level Two is for offenders who commit sex crimes against children, like possession of child pornography. They have to check in with law enforcement twice a year (every 180 days).
Tier Level One offenders check in once a year, and have convictions for crimes like indecent exposure and statutory rape.
State law mandates that information is publicly available online for all Tier Level Two and Three offenders. That information includes: their name and any aliases, physical description, birthday, a current photo, and their current address.
In Nevada, people can see the same information on Tier Level One offenders who preyed on a child or children.
Chelsea Ross of the Nevada Department of Public Safety said "the ones who offend on adults that are not on the public website."
The website is updated daily.
If you're looking for resources and don't know where to turn:
