566.150. Certain offenders not to be present or loiter within five hundred feet of a public park, swimming pool, athletic complex, museum, or nature center — violation, penalty — exception for nature or education center, when.
Some sex offenders are banned from being near parks, pools, and kid-focused places
In Missouri, people convicted of certain sex crimes can’t go near public parks, playgrounds, pools, sports fields, or museums meant for kids. There are strict penalties for breaking this law.
1. Anyone convicted of serious crimes—like incest, child exploitation, child pornography, or providing porn to minors—cannot knowingly be in or hang around (loiter) within 500 feet of:
- Public parks with playground equipment
- Public swimming pools
- Athletic fields or sports complexes made for kids
- Museums designed mainly to entertain or educate children under 18
- Nature or education centers run by the Missouri Department of Conservation
2. A first violation is a class E felony.
3. A second or later violation is a class D felony, which is more serious.
4. Exception: A parent or guardian with one of these convictions may be allowed on a nature or education center’s property—but only if their child is in a program there and they get special permission from the center manager ahead of time.
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