The Arkansas Court of Appeals has ruled that a judge was wrong when he revoked the probation of a violent sex offender in Jefferson County because he performed carpentry work at a day care center.
The court said Wednesday that the law allowed 52-year-old Joe A. Newman to work at the school as long as he didn’t interact with the children.
Circuit Judge Berlin C. Jones revoked Newman’s probation in August 2008, ordering him to serve six years in state prison. Newman’s probation officer testified at the revocation hearing that Newman violated his release terms by going within 2,000 feet of a school. But the Appeals Court found that the statute did not prohibit Newman from installing doors and baseboards at the day care.