Hatred, truth - Convicted sex offender says society’s label misleading

Jamie Lee Newburn said he knows what it’s like to be hated.

Newburn said he’s been called a child molester and a baby raper.

“I don’t mind if you tell the truth about me, but don’t lie about me,” said Newburn, a 31-year-old psychology major from Jacksonville.

Newburn registered as a sex offender with the University on Tuesday and is running for Student Government Association vice president in this week’s elections.

He served nearly three years in a federal prison on charges of attempting to have sex with a 14-year-old California girl he met on the Internet, officials said. He was convicted of two charges in 2001.

Newburn said he believes it is unfair to be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life even though he did not have physical contact with the girl. He said the stigma associated with being a registered sex offender has turned his life upside down.

There have been several attempts on his life, he said, but said he still tries to lead his life the best way he can.

“I’ve heard people say it directly, most people would prefer it if I were just dead,” he said.

Newburn said he and the girl started as friends, just a young girl who needed a sympathetic ear, but he said he developed feelings for her and wanted to marry her. He said he went to California.

Newburn said he would do things differently if he could.

“Right now, to undo everything that’s been done, I wouldn’t even be her friend,” he said.

Newburn was convicted on separate counts of crossing state lines and using the Internet in an attempt to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Newburn contends the law was unfairly applied to his case because of the lack of physical contact, “The whole time I have tried fighting the case as much as I could, but being a poor person from East Texas, there’s not much you can do,” he said.

“If you don’t have the money to hire even the lowest of lawyers, you’re stuck with public defenders,” he said. “They say they’re there to make sure you have representation, but it doesn’t always work out that way.”

Since his conviction, Newburn said he came to realize his private life is over.

As a registered sex offender, the public has access to where he lives and where he goes to school, he said. He says the law is unfair because other felons do not have to register.

“They [the public] may never know if a murderer was living next door,” he said.

Newburn said he’s made several attempts to clear his name, including requesting a presidential pardon, even though he knows it is almost impossible.

He plans to remain in the race for SGA vice president to “challenge the system” that he contends only elects “popular” students.

“I know what it’s like to have people against you,” he said. “For those students that may not have friends … I can be a person to listen to them. I can be a person to try to make sure their voice is heard.”

By Aaron May Staff Writer