Fla. county will send sex offender alerts by phone

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Residents in one southwest Florida county will get a phone call when a sex offender moves into the neighborhood.

Starting Sunday, Lee County authorities will send the prerecorded calls over land lines within a quarter-mile radius. The messages are similar to those already sent about missing children or Alzheimer's patients.

Sgt. Tracy Booth says the phone calls will back up information already available on the sheriff's office Web site or by e-mail alerts. The phone recording also states that the information should not be used to harass anyone.

The Fort Lauderdale-based organization A Child Is Missing is providing the phone service to the sheriff's office.

As of Friday, the county was tracking 529 sexual offenders and 36 sexual predators.