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Sex Offender Suit Resolved Involving Dover Law

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit challenging a Dover ordinance that prohibits sex offenders from living within 500 feet of day care centers.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit in February on behalf of Michael A. Justice, a registered sex offender who began living at his mother's apartment before the ordinance was adopted.

The ACLU said in a statement Tuesday that because the city has added a grandfather clause to the ordinance and Justice can stay in his home, there's no need for a court ruling.

But ALCU officials said the ordinance is still problematic, and that they are ready to file another lawsuit on behalf of other sex offenders who want to move to a prohibited area or work near a daycare center.

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Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.