Man whips out cellphone camera when he realizes neighborhood Jehovah’s Witness is a convicted sex offender

[Jack Ryan]

When YouTuber/Redditor Roman Vargas found out that a man named Waymon Chandler Ivery was making the door-to-door rounds as a Jehovah’s Witness in his neighborhood, he got his cellphone camera out and confronted the man.

In 1992, Ivery was convicted of first-degree sexual assault on a child.

According to Hermant Mehta of The Friendly Atheist, Vargas was told by a Jehova’s Witness friend a few years ago that Ivery was living in his neighborhood. In addition, a Facebook post warning the community about Ivery was also clear in Vargas’ memory, so he had little trouble identifying him.

The prospect of a pedophile going door-to-door in his neighborhood was a bit much for Vargas, so he took action.

As Vargas approached Ivery, the ex-convict denied the allegations at first, but soon scrambled to get in the van with his fellow Witnesses. A Witness in the van sitting to the right of Ivery put his hands in his head as if to say, “Wow, we really f*cked up.”

Writing for JW Survey, a blog dedicated to giving a voice to former Jehovah’s Witnesses, Covert Fade points out that JWs allowing a convicted sex offender to freely knock on doors is a serious problem:

Quote

… Ivery was not approached while shopping for food, or watching a movie, or even strolling along a busy street minding his own business. He was approached because he was engaged in a work that involves him calling at the homes of his neighbors.

I spent almost thirty years of my life engaged in the door to door ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and can report that it is not uncommon for the door to be answered by a young child. I know that very often in this situation, the Witness will ask: “Hello. Can I speak to Mommy or Daddy please?”

Often the child would then run to get their parents, but I personally saw a handful of moments where the child replied: “They are not home.”

…

… can you imagine how the scenario might have played out if the Witness on the doorstep was a predator struggling with a long-term desire to harm children?

 

No one is denying that Ivery paid his debt to society.

 “It’s one thing to forgive Ivery for his crimes. It’s another to ignore them entirely.”

Watch the video below:

 

http://deadstate.org/man-whips-out-cellphone-camera-when-he-realizes-neighborhood-jehovahs-witness-is-a-convicted-sex-offender/

[JaniceM]

There's no sound.

[HollyW]

8 hours ago, JaniceM said:

There's no sound.

The sound was okay for me.  Could it be the settings on your computer?

[JaniceM]

6 hours ago, HollyW said:

The sound was okay for me.  Could it be the settings on your computer?

Thanks Holly,

I'll try another one of the computers, this one is old but still my favorite.

[JaniceM]

I'm not sure if they are suppose to wear an ankle monitor.  I guess we now need to do background checks to make sure no one has committed felony of child abuse or sexual assault.  We could be in violation of the child offense laws if knowingly allowing such ones to go door to door which put them in close vicinity of minor children.  An unsuspecting parent might grow to trust someone and allow their child to be alone or take a trip with the offender and never suspect anything.

Only Jehovah knows if a person is truly repentant.  However, I don't trust them when they say I'm sorry and I'll never do it again.  It best to take precautions and protect the children.

[Jesus.defender]

so? are past sex offenders not allowed to be a JW, or a Christian?

 

Why film him? what crime was he committing?

[JaniceM]

51 minutes ago, Jesus.defender said:

so? are past sex offenders not allowed to be a JW, or a Christian?

 

Why film him? what crime was he committing?

Yes, it is allowable.  However, the issue was whether he is allowed by law as a registered sex offender of minor(s) to put himself in the position where he comes in contact with a minor child, which is often the case if he's going door to door visiting homes.  In most jurisdictions, sex offenders cannot live within so many feet of a school or playground, etc.  In some cases, children of sex offenders are taken out of the home so they will not come in contact with the sex offender(s) even if it's the parent(s).  There is no room for a sex offender to work themselves into a trusting home where a parent would feel comfortable leaving a child alone with them or letting them take the child out of the home for any length of time.

As an example someone with an alcohol problem, cannot be around alcohol for it is too tempting and they can fall back into abusing it.  We all have to remove ourselves from certain tempting situations or things that may stimulate us to commit sin.

 

[Ann O'Maly]

Youtube pulled the original video. Here's a new link to it:

https://tv.wtsarchive.com/vid/jw-pedophile-preaching

[JaniceM]

 

The sister and brother didn't seem as though they knew anything about it.  They could be allowing their children or grandchildren to be alone with him.  Yet, I'm sure some in the congregation know his background and afraid to speak up about their concerns.  The first step in solving a problem is admitting you have a problem, so stronger measures are put in place.  Maybe background checks should be standard for all the churches or organizations for any new members or door to door publishers.  That should not be too difficult since everything is computerized now and flags will show for anyone that is arrested or convicted.  Definitely, we want to do our best to protect those that can't protect themselves in this plague upon society and the whole world.

[Ann O'Maly]

What bugged me was that Ivery said the cameraman/neighbor "had it all wrong" when he was asked if he was a convict and on the register.

I would have preferred something along the lines of, "Yes, that's me. I committed this terrible crime and I'm on the sex offender's register for life. I served my time, I repented and became one of Jehovah's Witness. Nevertheless, to allay your and the neighborhood's concerns, not only am I monitored by the authorities, but I have certain restrictions within the congregation, and an elder who knows my background has to accompany me whenever I'm out in field service sharing my faith. If you wish to check with the police, please be my guest. Good day to you, sir." Then with voice lowered, "Psst, and by the way, the more recent allegations against those sisters were never proven." 

[JaniceM]

I'm still not sure he's allowed by law to visit homes of minor children even if it is with others.  I'm sure it can be startling to have someone all of a sudden with a camera in your face being loud, but he should have known that having that record in his past and being out in public someone was bound to confront him.  So yes, being prepared with an answer ahead of time would have been adequate, instead of total denial.  If everyone is in denial, nothing will change.  There should be an ongoing restriction against anyone underage being left alone with individuals accused of sexual abuse.  This would be added protection for everyone, while understanding everyone should be treated with love and respect.

[The Librarian]