Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - A man who raped three girls at a church-affiliated school that prosecutors labeled a sex cult was released Friday after serving more than 30 years in prison, putting his neighbors on edge.
George Feigley's release comes amid heightened concern that police lack authority to monitor his activities now that he is free.
A woman who lives next door to Feigley's home, where his wife has continued to live, has been circulating a petition to keep Feigley from returning to his old neighborhood.
When Feigley arrived at his three-story Harrisburg home as a passenger in a car shortly after 6:30 p.m. Friday, about 15 people blocked the driveway, shouted and held up signs that said, among other things, "Don't let him hurt again." Two police officers helped clear a path for the car to get in the driveway.
Feigley, 68, was convicted in 1975 of raping three girls who were students at a private school affiliated with a church Feigley founded and ran at his Harrisburg home. Prosecutors called the school a sex cult.
A newspaper, The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, published a front-page story Sunday about Feigley's crimes and his impending release.
Authorities say they cannot restrict Feigley's movements because he has served his maximum sentence. He also is not required to register his address with police under a sex offender notification law because his crimes occurred before that law existed.
State Sen. Jeffrey Piccola has said he plans to introduce legislation that would allow authorities to keep potentially dangerous sex offenders in prison after they have finished serving their sentences.
