Halloween Sex Offender Sweep Yields One Arrest

Whittel & Melton, LLC 352-264-7800 – Florida Sex Crime Attorneys

Police and deputies conducted a sweep Monday night in Gainesville, Alachua, High Springs, Waldo and the unincorporated areas of Alachua County to ensure that no sex offenders living in the county were wrongly handing out candy or engaging in other prohibited activities.

According to a news release, a sheriff’s spokesman indicated that all registered sex offenders were found to have followed proper protocol on Halloween in regards to distributing candy to children.

One man, however, was arrested for failing to re-register his status as a sex offender as required in October.

He was arrested around 10 p.m. at an address he had supposedly previously registered as his home.

This is allegedly the second time this year the 38-year-old man has failed to re-register. He is also accused of failing to contact officials back in April.

The man was designated a sex offender following a conviction for lewd and lascivious conduct involving a child under the age of 16 in Alachua County.

As far as Halloween goes, the Florida Department of Corrections mandated rules for sex offenders that were quite clear. For those on the sex offender registry, Halloween activities are considered illegal and a violation of the terms of their offender status. Registered offenders are prohibited from displaying decorations, distributing candy or leaving their outside lights on.

Sexual offender registration rules under normal circumstances are not quite so clear, and many times slight misunderstandings can lead to an arrest and serious potential consequences.

Originally under the Sexual Offender Registration statutes only people convicted of certain sex crimes were required by law to notify law enforcement officials of their residence and to regularly re-register their information. However, every year the list of sex crimes that require sex offender registration increases, and the obligations and restrictions placed on those convicted seems to get more and more overwhelming. As it stands currently, convicted sex offenders are banned from living or working in certain areas near a school or daycare, from living with minors and many sex offenders must have their address and photograph displayed on the Internet for anyone to view.

Many instances of failing to register arise because of an honest mistake or miscommunication. By consulting with the Florida Sex Crimes Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton, you can learn what can be done to fight these charges. Our attorneys can also instruct you on how to register and can assist you with keeping your registration up-to-date so no problems arise down the road.

If you have been arrested for failure to register or re-register as either a sexual predator or a sexual offender in the state of Florida, contact the Florida Sex Crimes Defense Attorneys online or contact our Alachua County office in Gainesville at 352-264-7800 or call us statewide and toll-free at 866-608-5529.