Sex offender back in jail 22 days after release

COLUMBUS, Ind — A sex offender is back in jail after he violated his parole just 22 days after release.

Michael O. Kent, a 36-year-old man from Columbus, was arrested in October 2022. He was charged with illegal sex offender residency violations and unlawful entry by a serious sex offender, according to the Columbus Police Department.

Before his arrest, CPD had received multiple complaints of Kent acting suspicious and approaching women. Shortly after he was released on June 2, CPD received another similar complaint.

CPD’s Intelligence Unit conducted covert surveillance on Kent. They discovered that he was living within 1,000 feet of a school. He had failed to report his residency to the sex offender coordinator.

Kent remains in the Bartholomew County Jail and has been charged with failure to register as a serious violent offender and illegal sex offender residency violations.