Man's return upsets some

Charles Gorham, a convicted offender, says residents have nothing to fear.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
McDONALD -- Charles Gorham's presence in the quiet neighborhood surrounding Roosevelt Elementary in 2005 upset residents, and now he has returned.
Gorham was convicted June 6, 2001, in Virginia of taking indecent liberties with a minor. He moved to McDonald, across the street from the school, but moved when the Trumbull County Sheriff's Department initiated a civil action against him to relocate.
Lark Young, who lives next door to the McDonald Avenue house Gorham stayed in, said she was shocked when she received a second letter Thursday from the sheriff's department telling residents Gorham had returned to the neighborhood.
"No. 1, I am angry. I have called official after official, and they said they are going to file civil charges against this guy. That is what they did last time," she said. "Now, we are back to square one."
Young has two children under the age of 4 living in her home.
"I know he has rights and everything, but we live across from a school. He seems to have more rights than our kids," she said. "I want him gone. If he moves to another neighborhood, I feel sorry for that neighborhood, but we have kids walking the neighborhood who have no idea [about Gorham]."
Misunderstanding, he says
Gorham maintains that the circumstances leading to his conviction are a misunderstanding and that he will be exonerated in the future.
"The people of McDonald have nothing to worry about, no fear," he said. "I have a daughter of my own."
Gorham said he lives in Cortland with his wife, but returned to the McDonald home of his sister's fianc & eacute; for a few days because of a disagreement with his wife.
He said Ohio law mandates that he report his whereabouts to authorities if he will be in the home more than five days. He plans to soon leave the McDonald home and return to his wife.
Marcel Ulrich lives two houses away and is upset that the sheriff's department would allow Gorham to move back into the house.
"You would think they would say, 'You can't go back there, you have to find somewhere else to go,' but here he is," Ulrich said.
No one in the sheriff's department Friday afternoon could comment on the matter.
Fears for grandchildren
Ulrich has grandchildren who attend Roosevelt and visit his home regularly. He said he worries about the safety of his grandchildren when Gorham is in the neighborhood.
Regardless of the length of time Gorham spends in the neighborhood, Young said she intends to educate herself on laws governing registered sex offenders and where they live. She said someone has to take the initiative to seek laws making it more difficult for such people to move into neighborhoods with many children.
jgoodwin@vindy.com