‘Terrified of him being around:’ Convicted sex offender causes concern in neighborhood
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Missouri (KMOV) — A convicted sex offender is not welcome in a Jefferson County neighborhood.
Residents hoped a St. Louis County judge would revoke the bond of Korey Kranefuss after a RING doorbell camera captured a potential bond violation. “I’m honestly just terrified of him being around,” said Morgan Pisoni who lives across the street from Kranefuss.
Kranefuss is a former police officer who was previously convicted of molesting a boy under the age of 10 in 2007. Pisoni has a son around the same age as Kranefuss’ victim. “I’m terrified to keep my kids outside,” she said, “They can’t play chalk. It’s just an overwhelming uncomfortable feeling.”
In late 2020, Pisoni’s RING doorbell captured video of a young boy accompanied by two adults, unrelated to Kranefuss, leaving the home where Kranefuss lives. Kranefuss is not allowed to be around minors. The video was turned over to police and in court, the St. Louis County prosecutor argued Kranefuss should have his bond revoked.
Witnesses testified that Kranefuss made no contact with the unrelated child, but the prosecutor argued Kranefuss should have told the child and his mother to leave the house. The judge called it a boneheaded move on Kranefuss’ part, but did not revoke his bond.
The Kreutzman family also lives on the same block. They said they believe Kranefuss is trying to intimidate neighbors. They say a large set of eyeballs were plastered on Kranefuss’ garage, along with other signs that say “love thy neighbor as thyself” and “leave me alone.”
The Kreutzmans put up their own sign that reads “keep pedophiles off our streets.”
The Pisoni’s put up a sign that reads “neighborhood watch – we are watching you.”
Disputes between neighbors and registered sex offenders are concerning to Vicki Henry, the president of (WAR) Women Against Registry. She said her organization favors getting rid of the sex offender registry. Henry believes offenders should serve their time, then be allowed to live in peace once they return to society.
“You know my advice is get to know this person,” Henry said. “None of us are defined by our worst moment. None of us.” Henry has a family member that’s on the registry and doesn’t believe the registry is beneficial. “I would say you have a right to know, but it doesn’t help you,” she said.
On Kranefuss’ block, the neighbors News 4 spoke with are thankful for the registry, and the information it provides. Kranefuss is currently charged with two felonies involving sodomy with an individual under the age of 14
Pisoni said she’s so upset about the situation she initially considered changing her life. “I wanted to throw up. I immediately contacted a realtor and told them I wanted to move,” she said.
For now, the neighbors say they will wait to see what happens at Kranefuss’ trial. The St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office released a statement saying, “As we stated to the court, we believe Mr. Kranefuss is a danger to the community due to his past convictions and current violations of bond conditions. While we respect the court’s decision on his bond revocation, we disagree with it.”
A lawyer for Kranefuss told News 4 Kranefuss is pleading not guilty to the current charges and contesting the evidence. The lawyer also said Kranefuss looks forward to clearing his name in court. A trial date is not currently scheduled.
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