BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Kids head out to trick-or-treat throughout southern West Virginia each Halloween, and a West Virginia State Police trooper urged parents to be aware of the houses their children visit.

The West Virginia State Police Sex Offender registry is available online for parents to check neighborhoods for registered sex offenders, State Police Cpl. C.A. Dunn said on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

Federal law requires those convicted of sex crimes to register their addresses in the database.
Cpl. Dunn said parents may execute a simple search to learn where sex offenders live.

“Parents definitely need to be aware of where the sex offenders reside at, in their communities,” Dunn advised. “They can do that by checking on the sex offender website, here in West Virginia, making sure that the children are safe and going to the right houses, and not just any house that a sex offender could be at.”