Convicted Sex Offender's Home Address Is Listed As A Child Care Center In Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A website meant to keep Illinois communities informed is causing confusion on Chicago's North Side because a registered sex offender's listed home address is actually that of a child care center.

The St. Vincent dePaul Center is home to several services including child care for more than 400 children five and younger.

Mark Heyer was convicted of sexually abusing a 6-year-old in 1998 and has since had to keep tabs with the Illinois sex offender registry, but what CBS 2 found on the website is not accurate.

Heyer has not been seen since 2013, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Heyer's home address is listed as 2145 N. Halsted St. in Lincoln Park, but in reality that address belongs to the St. Vincent dePaul Center.

But that is not  possible, according to Illinois State Police.

The department is considering the 52-year-old non-compliant after he failed to annually report his residence three times since 2007.

"It was kind of alarming to find out that a sex offender was actually registered to a daycare, and it was the daycare that my children attend," said one concerned mother of four, who wishes to remain anonymous. "When I found out about it, I instantly followed up."

She said she called and emailed to alert the center.

"It's very disturbing to us that this person was able to use our address," said Peter Beale-DelVecchio, CEO of Marillac St. Vincent Family Services, the nonprofit behind the child care center. "People entrust us with their children day in and day out, and they need to know that it's a safe place."

The sex offender registry is maintained by Illinois State Police. In a statement an ISP spokesperson said, "The address contained in the registry is the address provided to IDOC upon their release."

That means when Heyer was released from jail in 2013, St. Vincent dePaul's address is the one he chose as his own.

Beale-Delvecchio is working with authorities to correct the wrong information.

"At this point we're waiting to hear back on next step," he said.

ISP said once the address is verified as a non-residential location by local law enforcement Heyer's sex offender registry will be updated to "location unknown."