Last summer, Tom Armstrong's Marietta home was ground zero.

Picketers regularly walked the sidewalk in front of the hillside house with the gray siding at 704 E. Market St., protesting Armstrong's decision to house three convicted sex offenders inside. Tempers flared in public meetings as Armstrong, a former state representative, argued that the community needed to give the men a second chance.

Ultimately Marietta Borough officials disagreed with Armstrong, and borough officials ordered the three men to leave.

Now there's a chance Armstrong himself might be moving out.

Armstrong's home is in foreclosure proceedings and is slated to go to sheriff's sale in July.

Armstrong and his attorney, Jim Clymer, say they're working to prevent that.

Meanwhile, a court case filed by Armstrong challenging the zoning officer's decision continues — even though Armstrong has moved the private halfway house into nearby Columbia Borough, and no offenders now live at the Marietta address.

"Yes, my wife and I have seen some tough times these past few years," admitted Armstrong, who said he was diagnosed last summer with multiple sclerosis. But despite the difficulties, he remains guided by his Christian faith to spend time and money on offenders who, he believes, deserve a second chance.

"There aren't too many people who are driven by principle and willing to stand up for what they believe in," said Clymer, Armstrong's attorney. "I applaud him for doing that."
Little support
First in Conestoga, then Marietta and now Columbia, Armstrong's efforts often seem to generate more boos than applause.

Armstrong first set up a private halfway house in southern Lancaster County about one year ago, housing four former sex offenders in a rented property. By late May, the community was in an uproar; by mid-June, what Armstrong was calling "Barnabas House" had moved out of Conestoga Township and into his private home in Marietta.

Outrage followed. Marietta residents demanded borough officials shut the halfway house down; Armstrong, as he had done in Conestoga, continued to argue that the three men were no threat to society.

Subsequently, on Jan. 31 of this year, one of the men who had lived in the Marietta home, Richard Owen, a convicted rapist —!\qwas charged by police in East Lampeter Township with making lewd advances toward women at the Wal-Mart on Lincoln Highway East.

At trial, Owen was found guilty of harassment, but not guilty of disorderly conduct/obscene language.

In July 2008, Marietta zoning officer Mark Harman filed a cease-and-desist order, ordering Armstrong to move the three men out of his house. Armstrong appealed, but the borough's zoning hearing board rejected his appeal. Armstrong then filed a lawsuit in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, seeking to overturn the order.

Marietta solicitor Shawn Long said that appeal is still pending, though "from our perspective, the extra people moved out, so there's no zoning violation."

Said Clymer, Armstrong's attorney: "I don't think it's a moot point. The issue is whether the decision was correctly rendered by the borough at the time, and that could have an impact going forward."

Armstrong moved the men into a home in Columbia, prompting outrage from some in that community. Borough officials initially said they thought Armstrong was violating zoning laws that prohibit more than three unrelated people from living in a single residence. But Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz said last week that there are now only two offenders living in the home on Mill Street, so no laws are being broken.

Lutz said he continues to get complaints from residents. He backs proposals in the state legislature that would restrict the number of sex offenders living in any residence to one per unit, and also place new restrictions on their proximity to schools or playgrounds.

"We're not saying these people don't have a right to live somewhere," Lutz said. "But when you stack them up like that, it can cause a problem for the community."
Proud of efforts
Despite all the controversy, Armstrong remains proud of his efforts.

"When I first went into the legislature, the whole thing was being tough on crime," said Armstrong, a Republican who represented the 98th District from 1991 to 2003. "That's not necessarily the brightest thing to do."

He's been active with Justice & Mercy, a nonprofit, faith-based volunteer organization committed to criminal justice system reform and ministering to both victims and offenders.

In 1997, his brother, Matthew E. "Max" Armstrong, was convicted of several counts of indecent exposure and corruption of minors. He served several years in prison.

After leaving the legislature, Armstrong worked as a consultant and is now an insurance agent for Monumental Life. However, Armstrong said his ability to work has been hampered by his illness, first diagnosed last summer.

Around the time the offenders moved into his Marietta home, he began having problems with his vision.

Stress can aggravate MS symptoms.

Armstrong said he's now on a medication to help manage his symptoms.

The foreclosure notice on his East Market Street property was filed in December. Last July, Discover Bank won a default judgment against Armstrong for $10,716.08, according to information filed in the Lancaster County Courthouse.

Armstrong said he gets no federal or state money to help run his halfway house. His "clients" pay their own way, sometimes bolstered by donations from their families or local churches.

"They have to have an income," he said. "I'm not a welfare office."

His personal issues aside, Armstrong remains committed to "walking down the road with these guys and show them there's a better way." He said at least one client has turned his life around. Another succumbed to pneumonia, and Armstrong said he's gratified to have made a difference in the man's life.

"Most of us think our judicial system is a good system, but it's got serious flaws and we end up destroying people," Armstrong said.

"Yes, it's been tough financially," said Armstrong, who admitted he was reluctant to talk about the foreclosure because "I am a private citizen, and this is my private home.

"But I will never shrink from an opportunity to speak to these issues."