Sex offender pleads for house near daycare

ATLANTA, June 5 (UPI) -- A registered sex offender in Georgia is asking the state Supreme Court to allow him to keep his home after a daycare center opened in close proximity.

Anthony Mann, who was put on the state's sex offender registry after he was convicted in North Carolina of "indecent liberties" for flashing two children, is arguing his property rights and ability to earn money are being unconstitutionally harmed by state rules that bar him from living or working within 1,000 feet of places where children are gathered, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday.

A day care center also opened near a Lovejoy BBQ restaurant that Mann partially owns.

Bailey Wallace, a lawyer for Mann, said both day care centers opened after Mann was settled in the area and owned a stake in the business. He said his client researched the neighborhood before moving in to make sure he was complying with state laws.