A young Oklahoma woman recently got a new nightmare of a neighbor: her uncle, who recently finished his prison sentence for molesting her as a child. The survivor, 19-year-old Danyelle Dyer, and her parents were stunned—and are understandably upset. They told local station KFOR:
“He’s like right there, practically in my backyard and that kind of makes me nervous and not want to go home ever,” said 21-year-old Danyelle Dyer.
Danyelle and her family say her uncle, Harold English, recently got out of prison and moved in with his mother whose property is just over the fence.
“When you have to see it, I can only imagine what it does to my daughter when she’s there and she has to witness it,” said Laurina Dyer. “She shouldn’t have to. Very heartbreaking.”
But now, like many survivors before her, Dyer is now turning her pain into activism by sharing her story—and working to improve local laws so this doesn’t happen to anyone else again. The change she wants is a no-brainer: she wants convicted sex offenders to be banned from living close to their victims.
“It’s adding one word in there where it talks, where they can and can’t live, just adding ‘victim’ right there along with schools and playgrounds,” said Danyelle.
“Supposedly he paid his debt to society and as long as he’s not near a church or a daycare or where children gather, he’s free to do as he wishes,” said her dad.
They’ve been talking to lawmakers and in the meantime, and Danyelle says sharing her story isn’t shameful. She’s even had other women reach out to her.
Oklahoma is among several states who do not have protections banning convicted sex offenders from living near their victims. Others including Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.