PITTSBURGH -- A Target 11 investigation found over the past few years there have been at least five registered sex offenders living at the Green Acres Personal Care home in Rossiter, Indiana County

Two years ago, an advocacy group found one sex offender and a mildly retarded woman sharing the same room.

Target 11 reporter Karen Welles investigated and found neighbors of the home want the sex offenders out.

Sam Whitfield lives near the Green Acres Personal Care Home. He told Welles, “I think there ought to be someplace that they can put them where there's no children around; there’s kids all over here. I have grandchildren; they walk up and down the road. You never know what they're gonna do."

Paul Zanzella, the owner of Green Acres, was reluctant to talk to Welles, but told her, “I'm telling you, we're doing good here; we're not doing bad."

The five sex offenders, identified on the Megan’s Law Web site as committing crimes of either involuntary deviate sexual intercourse or indecent assault, live in the same home with residents who have mental health issues.

Welles went to Harrisburg to find out if having sex offenders, who are not mentally disabled; living in the same personal care home as residents who are, was allowed by the state.

Stacey Ward, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, told Welles, "Specifically in this case, a number of years ago we did become aware that the facility did have a higher number, an unusual number of people at the facility that that were convicted sex offenders. We did work to assess them and we worked to look at the facility and all of the other individuals that were in care and we did in turn relocate some individuals from the facility."

Welles discovered there is no law in Pennsylvania preventing sex offenders from living in the same personal care home as mentally retarded people.

The state cannot discriminate against them if they're not posing a threat to others.

Welles asked the owner, “Why do you have them here in the first place?"

Zanella replied, "It's my job to watch over them so they don't go after somebody's kid.”

Welles, however, pointed out that Green Acres is merely a boarding house, not a locked facility.

People living near the home are gathering names on a petition asking that the sex offenders be moved out of their neighborhood.

The Disability Rights Network says it found some safety concerns at Green Acres and the state Welfare Department is continuing to monitor the personal care home.

More Info:
- Megan's Law Web Site

- Child Predator Web Sites & Child Safety Resources

- National Sex Offender Registry

- Registered Sex Offenders