11:05 PM EDT on Friday, June 3, 2005

By JOHN ROMERO / 6NEWS

Sexual predators are rarely identified on North Carolina's sex offender registry, according to a 6NEWS investigation of the state database. The rare use of the "predator" label makes it hard to differentiate between the most violent offenders and those not likely to commit crimes again, counselors say.

Although many sex offenders complete treatment programs and are not considered continued threats to their communities, law enforcement officials say sexual predators are likely to continue to commit crimes. In other states, these predators are flagged on the sex offender registry.

"Your predators never get on with it," said Katz DeLauney, who counsel’s people convicted of sexual crimes. "They continue to offend. They continue to get better at it. These are the ones you need to warn your kids about."

Local district attorneys' offices bear responsibility to push for the predator tag, according to the State Attorney General's Office. Local DAs need a four person panel to sign off before an offender can be labeled a predator.

Kevin Wayne Williams graces both the North Carolina and Florida sex offender registries. One law enforcement source described him as the most dangerous sexual offender he's ever seen. Florida labels Williams as a sexual predator, but the North Carolina registry doesn't differentiate between Williams and Mike, who had consensual sex with a girl five years younger when he was a teenager.

In Florida, where Williams was first arrested, there are 35,000 people in the sex offender database; 5,000 are listed as "predators." South Carolina uses the "predator" label 92 times. North Carolina has only one offender with a "predator" tag.

"There are people who mean to go out and commit these crimes, and then there are those of us who just made mistakes," said Mike, who was charged with indecent liberty with a minor. "They have the list of crimes, but to the average person, they don't even understand what the crimes mean."

Mike is concerned that the state's sex offender registry doesn't do much to distinguish between his crime and Williams'.

"If someone is convicted of an outright sexual assault, it needs to be known and put in more bold terms," Mike said.

Sharon Thacker, who works with sexual assault victims, believes that the registry provides parents with the information they need, as long as they are willing to look for it.

"Look for someone who's been convicted multiple times," she said. "Look for someone who has been convicted of a major sex crime."

Thacker suggests parents search for offenders near their home and schools as well as consider the crimes that were committed.

6NEWS reporter Rebecca Lindstrom contributed to this report.