More than half of the Hurricane Katrina evacuees airlifted into South Carolina have criminal backgrounds, with convictions ranging from petty theft to rape, authorities said.

State Law Enforcement Division agents screened 547 evacuees and discovered that 301 had criminal records. Most had committed only minor offenses and few of their crimes were recent, but the group also included people convicted of aggravated assault and rape, said SLED Inspector Richard Hunton.

No one was placed in custody. Two men had outstanding warrants in connection with burglaries in Oregon and Washington state, but they were released because neither state wanted to extradite them, said SLED Chief Robert Stewart.

"Most of it was old and minor offenses, larceny and drug charges from the '70s and '80s," he said. "What we don't know about are (evacuees) who have come into the state on their own or had some church or civic group bring them in."

While authorities are alarmed by the number of criminal pasts, some activists say the evacuees are people in need, regardless of their histories.

The group screened by SLED represents just a small portion of an estimated 6,000 Gulf Coast evacuees staying in the Palmetto State, including more than 1,000 in the Lowcountry. Only those evacuated by federal officials were subjected to background checks upon their arrival in Columbia and Greenville earlier this month."This was done for everyone's protection," Hunton said. "It was done both to allow the evacuees to know they may have someone dangerous in their midst as well as for the benefit of the community assisting them."

States and communities across the nation are screening Katrina evacuees for criminal records as the displaced are landing on doorsteps in need of help. Among the flood of evacuees may be hundreds of parolees, wanted individuals and criminal defendants. Some 4,500 registered sex offenders were living in 14 Louisiana parishes slammed by Katrina. But civil liberties groups have pounced on the background screenings, saying they appear to be targeting poor, black evacuees who are in dire need of help, not scrutiny.

"The assumption that when you go out to rescue a bunch of poor, black people, that they are going to be criminals, is racist," said Kevin Gray, president of the South Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "The only plan they ever seem to have for poor people is a jail plan."

SLED estimates that black people accounted for 80 percent of the evacuees who were screened. But Stewart said that SLED was following a system that had been requested by the military and that no one was jailed. Stewart said it was an unprecedented situation; SLED had never been called upon to do criminal background checks on evacuees from natural disasters.

"We had no part in selecting who was on those airplanes," he said. "Our only intent was the safety of the survivors and the citizens of this state."

SLED ran the background checks using whatever identification or information the evacuees could provide. Some other states fingerprinted those without identification so criminal record checks could be run and photo IDs issued.

Only one of the 350 evacuees arriving in West Virginia had a valid identification card. As state police sought to verify identities, they learned that nearly half of the evacuees had a criminal record, including 77 people who had been convicted of at least one violent offense, said state police Lt. Col. Stephen Tucker. Three people were identified as registered sex offenders and another was found to be an illegal alien, he said.

Massachusetts authorities found a man wanted on a rape charge among the 200 Katrina evacuees who landed at a military base on Cape Cod. He is now in custody. Two others left the state while authorities were reviewing whether they needed to register as sex offenders, said Katie Ford, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts public safety office.

While about a third of evacuees in Massachusetts arrived during the federal airlift, most of those who fled to South Carolina came on their own or with help of family, friends or charitable groups.

The FBI has opened up its criminal history database to allow free background screenings on any Katrina volunteer, relief worker or evacuee who would have access to children. That means a parent could check an evacuee's criminal history before deciding whether to offer a room. An evacuee with children could do the same before accepting someone's offer of a place to stay.

The checks must be done through SLED, sheriff's offices or police departments, Stewart said. One check SLED conducted Thursday found that an evacuee had past convictions for assaulting a police officer and criminal domestic violence, he said.

"We want to uphold everyone's constitutional rights," Stewart said. "But if someone is coming into a home with a family, they would probably want to know if that person is on the sex offender registry or is a violent criminal."

Trident United Way, which is helping evacuees find housing in rental properties, vacation homes and empty buildings, is pursuing background checks only when requested to do so by building owners, said agency spokesman Barry Waldman.

The Charleston Housing Authority, which is assisting 32 families displaced by Katrina, regularly conducts criminal background checks on all prospective tenants. Director Don Cameron said he knows of no Katrina evacuees turned away because of criminal pasts.

The Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the American Red Cross has assisted more than 500 families who fled from Katrina, including more than 80 who received shelter. The organization works to verify that they came from the affected region but doesn't go beyond that, said spokesman Chris Duncan.

"People are in need, regardless of their history," he said. "As long as they are cooperative and appreciative of our services, we do not discriminate as to who receives our assistance."

547

Number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees airlifted into South Carolina from the Gulf Coast.

301

Number of those evacuees with criminal records, including convictions for rape, aggravated assault, drug offenses, burglary, petty thefts and traffic violations.

2,977

Number of families displaced by Katrina who have sought assistance from the American Red Cross in South Carolina.

1,300

Estimated number of Katrina evacuees who have received assistance from the Red Cross's Lowcountry chapter.

Sources: State Law Enforcement Division and the Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the American Red Cross

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