Child Molester Allowed to Live Next Door to His Victim

Earlier this month, 21-year-old Danyelle Dyer happened to see her new next-door neighbor in Bristow, Oklahoma, out mowing the lawn. As she tells People, Dyer instantly recognized him—he'd been convicted of molesting her 14 years earlier. Dyer and her parents sought the help of authorities to make Harold English—her step-uncle—move, only to learn that while state law prevents predators from living near schools, it does not bar them from living near their victims. Now Dyer is pushing to change that. “I was pretty outraged, but I have channeled that rage into a more positive outlet, which, for me, is sharing my story and empowering other victims of sexual assault,” says Dyer. Another twist: English, 65, is living at his mother's house, having moved in there upon his release from prison June 13.

Dyer is angry at her grandmother for allowing him to do so, but Betty Dyer tells CNN that it's only temporary. "I think Danyelle is OK for trying to get a law passed," she says. "But she shouldn't blame me for what happened because this is my son and I just give him a place to stay until he can find a place on his own." English is the step-brother of Dyer's father, and Dyer says he repeatedly molested her when she was 7. Her parents hadn't realized he had a prior conviction for sexually abusing a child when they allowed him to move in with the family for the summer. State Rep. Kyle Hilbert says he hopes to get a law passed in the next legislative session that would prevent convicted predators from living near their victims, reports KFOR. (More child molestation stories.)