Man accused of assaulting sex offenders listed on Megan's Law site

Posted: Apr 27, 2010 12:22 PM by Bethany Tucker
Updated: Apr 27, 2010 12:22 PM

Grover Beach Police officers say the man arrested for the alleged armed robbery of the Kautz Chevron station last week was also involved in two earlier assaults and one burglary. Police say the assault victims are sex offenders he found listed on the Megan's Law Web site.

Investigators say after they arrested 24-year-old David Griffin for robbing the gas station last Friday, they connected him to crimes that happened Thursday at two homes in Grover Beach. They say Griffin matched the physical description of the suspect wanted for beating and then robbing of two local residents. Officers say Thursday morning, they were called to a home on the 500 blk. of Longbranch Ave. on report of a suspect who kicked in the victim's front door. When they arrived, the victim told officers the suspect had knocked and asked for the resident by name. After the victim told the suspect that person didn't live there, he walked away. The victim told investigators he saw the suspect look at a piece of paper that was later found to be a print out from the Megan's Law website. Almost immediately, the suspect returned to that home and kicked in the front door. The victim told officers that the suspect had called him a sex offender.

About a half hour later, officers were called to a home on the 300 blk. of N. 16th St. where a second victim said he walked into a burglary in progress at his home. When he confronted the suspect, he was assaulted with a hammer and was kicked and punched. The victim told officers the suspect took some of his property and then fled the area.

According to the Megan's Law website, at one time there were registered sex offenders living at both of the two homes in which these crimes occurred. But, the website notes that those registrants may have relocated without notifying the proper authorities. Detectives say it appears the suspect was going down the list of the sex offenders that are posted on the Megan's Law website.

Later, both victims of these crimes were able to positively identify David Griffin as the man who attacked them. Officers also say that after Griffin was arrested for the armed robbery case Friday morning, he made numerous statements to officers that he hates sex offenders and then admitted to burglarizing the two homes on Thursday.

Officers later searched Griffin's temporary local home and found stolen property from the N. 16th St. incident.

Now, Griffin is also facing charges of assault, trespassing, vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary.

Griffin is expected to be arraigned on the armed robbery charges Tuesday.