Ohio's top court is deciding whether Chris Smith Jr., a Tier 3 sex offender, had to register a new workplace after spending several weeks on a 2023 cleaning job at Camp Wise in Geauga County.
The dispute turns on what counts as a "place of employment" when work is routed through contractors: Smith was employed by Center for Employment Opportunities, assigned through Immaculate Cleaning, and did not receive pay or benefits from the camp.
Prosecutors argued the law requires in-person registration if an offender works at a site for more than three days, saying the statute is meant to tell communities where offenders are during the day.
Smith's lawyer countered that many workers regularly travel across counties from a main business address and said no children were present at the camp while Smith was working there.
Camp Wise's operator said it terminated its janitorial vendor once it learned of Smith's presence, and the ruling could clarify registration duties as hybrid and multi-site work become more common.