Forty-five registered sex offenders on both sides of the Ohio River were found to be out of compliance with the terms of their registration, and at least seven were arrested this week during a four-county sweep by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Authorities knocked on doors at the residences of 374 offenders in Washington, Monroe and Athens counties, and in Wood County, W.Va., to verify addresses and ensure compliance with registration requirements.
The results were released during a news conference at the Washington County Jail Friday afternoon.
"Approximately 12 percent of the registered sex offender population in these four counties were out of compliance, and while we have a problem with anyone who's out of compliance, this indicates that most offenders are doing what they're supposed to do," said Cathy Jones, acting U.S. Marshal for Southern Ohio.
Her West Virginia counterpart, Tim Goode, agreed.
"And this cooperative operation shows that we are committed to making sure those who are convicted of sex offenses against children are properly registered," he said.
Five of Washington County's 112 registered sex offenders were out of compliance, and four of those were arrested.
"One was arrested for being drunk while on probation, another failed to pay child support," said Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks.
He said a third was arrested for possessing a weapon while under disability, and the fourth was jailed on theft charges.
Mayford Lee Miller, 51, 1114 Walsh Road, Vincent, was arrested at his residence for nonsupport of dependants, a misdemeanor, and jailed on Tuesday. He was later released by court order.
Donald Gee Socia, 76, 836 Pike St., Apt. 15, Marietta, was arrested at his residence for violating the terms of his probation, a felony. Socia was jailed on Wednesday, but released by his adult probation officer the same day.
Harland Wayne Watson, 47, 1350 State Route 821, Marietta, was arrested at his home for having a weapon while under disability, a felony. Watson was jailed Wednesday and released after posting $2,500 bond.
John Lewis Lindsey II, 33, 230 Henniger Road, Lowell, was arrested at the sheriff's office for theft, a misdemeanor. He was jailed on Wednesday evening and later released after posting $1,000 bond.
Mincks said deputies perform random checks to monitor the activities of registered sex offenders, but there is no set number of checks required on the 112 offenders each month. He said some months an offender will receive one or two visits, while other months will generate three or four visits from officers.
A list of registered sex offenders residing within the county, their addresses and offense(s) is available through the Washington County Sheriff's Office Web site at www.washingtoncountysheriff.org, where citizens may also choose to be notified by e-mail if a registered offender lives within one mile of their residence.
"There are probably more than 3,000 people who have registered for the e-mail service within this county," Mincks said.
In Monroe County, two out of 31 sex offenders were found out of compliance, one was arrested for failure to register his proper address, and the other arrested for a parole violation.
Monroe County Sheriff Charles Black said Jonathan Holley, 27, was arrested in Sardis for failure to report his current address which was near a school. Holley was placed in the Noble County Jail on $20,000 bond.
Black also reported Jay Kinney, 47, of State Route 26 in Graysville, was arrested for a parole violation, but was later released.
At least 10 of the 90 registered sex offenders in Athens County were out of compliance, but operations were continuing and no arrests had been reported there as of Friday evening.
There were 141 registered sex offenders checked out during the sweep in Wood County, W.Va., and 28 were out of compliance with various registration requirements.
One offender, George W. Baker, 34, 501 32nd St., Parkersburg, was arrested on a destruction of property warrant, but later released after posting $500 bond, according to Capt. Mark King with the Wood County Sheriff's Office.
The sweep comes more than a month following the arrest of Cuyahoga County sex offender Anthony Sowell who has been charged with murder, rape, felonious assault and kidnapping after police discovered the bodies of 10 people and the skull of another near or inside Sowell's home.
Jones said the local four-county operation had been scheduled long before Sowell's arrest, and noted that Sowell had remained in compliance with sex offender registration requirements, so authorities had no reason to enter and search his home.
The bodies were found at Sowell's home as a result of a missing persons investigation.
This week's sweep was unique because it involved authorities on both sides of the Ohio River, according to Jones.
The operation was conducted through combined efforts of the Washington, Monroe and Athens counties sheriff's departments, U.S. Marshals from Ohio's southern district, West Virginia State Police, Wood County Sheriff's Office, Parkersburg Police Department, and U.S. Marshals from West Virginia's southern district.
The U.S. Marshals Service is the lead law enforcement agency responsible for investigating sex offender registration violations and related offenses in connection with violations of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, enacted July 27, 2006.
The U.S. Marshals Service has been directed to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities in the location and apprehension of non-compliant and fugitive sex offenders.
