Sex offender arrested for violating registration requirements

A sex offender registered with the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested for violating sex offender registration requirements. Seventy-year-old William Shelton of Midway is charged failing to verify registration information.

On May 14, the deputy in charge of registering sex offenders and monitoring their status was conducting routine checks on a list of registered sex offenders to ensure compliance. While doing so, he found a Facebook account belonging to Shelton.

All sex offenders are required to verify their residence and provide basic information to the Sheriff’s Office every six months. This includes providing address, vehicle information, employment information, contact phone numbers, social media accounts, etc. Shelton had never informed the Sheriff’s Office of his Facebook account, contrary to his lawful requirement to do so.

Shelton, who is classified by the state as a Level 4 sex offender, was arrested on Tuesday and booked into the Baxter County Detention Center on a felony charge of failing to register or verify registration information. He was released after posting a $15,000 bond. He will appear before the Baxter County Circuit Court on September 23.

WebReady^TM Powered by WireReady^® NSI