Community Questions How Sex Offender Able To Adopt

Community Questions How Sex Offender Able To Adopt

Man Surrenders To Police After 5-Hour Standoff

POSTED: 4:07 pm EDT August 26, 2003

UPDATED: 4:21 pm EDT August 26, 2003

A Northville man who is listed on Michigan's sex offender registry threatened to take his own life Monday night after a court recently removed his adopted children from his home, according to police.

Scott Francis, a convicted sex offender, armed himself with a gun and threatened to take his own life as Northville police surrounded his home for nearly five hours, Local 4 reported.

Police say the man's adopted children were recently removed from the home after an investigation revealed that one of the kids may have been sexually abused.

"We had received allegations that he had sexually assaulted one of his adopted children," said James Petres, Northville police chief.

Francis was registered as a sex offender after being previously convicted of two offenses of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Ron Cyr, the landlord who rented the home to Francis, was shocked to hear of the man's criminal record.

"I was just wondering how someone who's on a list like that can even get foster kids," Cyr said.

Police say Francis called a crisis hotline around 5 p.m. Monday threatening to kill himself.

Francis surrendered to police around 9:40 p.m. on the front porch of his home after speaking with a negotiator over the phone, Local 4 reported.

Investigators say it's unclear if Francis had adopted his children before or after committing the previous sex offenses.

Francis was scheduled to undergo psychiatric evaluation, and could possibly face charges later this week, Local 4 reported.