A 22-year-old eastern Iowa man who is a convicted sex offender has told authorities he’s living among the dead.
Convicted sex offenders who’re out of prison are required by state law to report their living address to their county sheriff and David Eberle has told authorities he’s living out of his car, and parking it overnight in a Cedar Rapids cemetery.
Mt. Calvary Cemetery manager Carol Hochstetler says no one’s authorized to stay overnight at the cemetery and she hasn’t seen any evidence that someone’s living on the property. “We will double-check from now on out here,” she says. “There won’t be a problem, I’m sure. Nobody has to worry. We’ll make sure the cemetery is taken care of and there’s no problems.”
Eberle, the man who’s claiming to live in the cemetery, was convicted of indecent contact with a child in 2002. By law, he must list his address with the sheriff and live at least 2000 feet away from daycare centers and schools. Some sections of the cemetery would meet that distance requirement.
Some individuals on the state’s sex offender registry routinely give fake addresses. Currently, slightly more than 6000 people must register. One state official says up to 25 percent of addresses listed each year must be investigated because of questions about residency rules.
Linn County Sheriff Don Zeller says now that he’s confirmed Eberle gave a fake address he’s in the process of filing legal papers. Deputies will be able to arrest Eberle on a violation whenever — and wherever — he’s located.