DENVER -- Our 7NEWS' exclusive hidden-camera investigation exposed people in positions of trust giving incorrect information about felony sex offenders.

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Apartment Managers Find Out That Sex Offenders Live In Their Building

With hidden cameras rolling, 7NEWS captured community managers and leasing agents simply provided wrong information about the criminal history of their residents. 7NEWS' Tony Kovaleski confronted them to set the record straight.

The Rob Roy Apartments leasing agent told us, "We do make sure there are no sex offenders, or been in prison."

The leasing at Cherry Grove said, "We don't accept anybody with any eviction nor with a felony record."

"No one with felonies is allowed to live here, no one with evictions," the leasing agent at Highline Terrace had said. She even said they conduct criminal background checks.

But those background checks apparently didn't find what 7NEWS found. Public records show registered sex offenders living inside every community we investigated.

"We do criminal background checks," said the manager for Summit Ridge Apartments. She said she's not aware of any felons living in that apartment complex.

When 7NEWS Investigator went to the managers to show them the truth, some appeared surprised.

Records show six registered sex offenders at the Summitt Ridge in Denver.

"I am very upset about that. They shouldn't be living here if they are a sex offender," said the Summit Ridge manager.

Perhaps the most troubling misinformation came at the Cherry Grove Apartments in Denver. They have almost two dozen sex offenders living here.

"Wow," said the Cherry Grove Manager when we told him about the number of sex offenders in his complex.

He said the complex does criminal background checks on everybody but apparently their background checks missed this fact -- that the complex has 18 registered sex offenders, including a man who is listed on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's Web site of high-risk offenders.

Tony Kovaleski/7NEWS: "This guy has a record that includes sex assault on a child in 1990, aggravated sex assault on a child in 1987. He's living in your complex. When we sent a mom and a little baby girl, concerned about their safety, you told them that you check everybody's record. Nobody's here with a felony."
Cherry Grove Manager: "Wow. You're blowing my mind with this. Tony, I am definitely going to look into this and my boss is going to be very upset."

State Sen. Norma Anderson, who authored the sex offender registration legislation, reviewed the findings of our hidden camera investigation and said she is surprised with what our hidden cameras found.

"If I say that there's no felons in this apartment house, I think I take on a responsibility, and if I was careful as a landlord, I wouldn't say it unless I knew for sure," Anderson said.

Anderson did say there are no current laws on the books to require leasing agents to accurately disclose the criminal histories of their residents.

At the Rob Roy apartment building in Denver, public records list nine sex offenders.

When Kovaleski talked to the manager at Rob Roy, she said she would not say that the complex made sure there are no sex offenders living there -- even though our hidden cameras caught her saying exactly that.

Later in the conversation, this leasing agent admitted she was aware that sex offenders are living on her property.

Tony Kovaleski/7NEWS: "Fair to say you have sex offenders living here."
Rob Roy Leasing agent: "We do have probably about two or more. It depends on the records."
Tony Kovaleski/7NEWS: "And that's not what you said when we were looking to rent a place."

Owners of the Rob Roy apartments say they changed their policy in February and no longer accept sex offenders.

All four communities said some of the felony sex offenders are not and have not been tenants of record on leases. Others moved in before the communities began background checks. The owner of Cherry Grove Apartments said notices to quit were sent to all apartments on the list.

If you want accurate information on the sex offenders living in your community. You need to take the initiative. You need to get the report from your local police department. Do not rely on information from others. A list of the most violent sex offenders in the state is also listed on the Colorado Bureau of Information Web site.

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