KEEPING REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS IN COMPLIANCE
Operation Offender Blitz was a success for the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. Registered Sex Offender compliance checks were conducted by a Joint Multi-Agency Task Force from members of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security and the US Marshal’s Office. Agencies involved were conducting residential verification checks as the sun began to rise in the early morning hours of June 8, 2017. The operation lasted through the late afternoon.
Seventeen members from various agencies came together last week where they were briefed on Operation Offender Blitz by Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Steve Owen.
Deputy Owen laid out the mission’s objective and operations plan. “This mission is to ensure that those currently registered in our county are in full compliance with North Carolina General Statutes pertaining to the Sex Offender Registry (SOR),” he said to members of the task force. Several teams were formed with members from each agency. Each were given assignments at various locations throughout the county to conduct the residential verification checks.
“Our goal is to ensure that the 124 registered sex offenders currently in Henderson County remain in compliance,” said Sheriff Charles McDonald. “If they decide not to, we will handle each case accordingly and work with the District Attorney’s office to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Sheriff’s Office wants the community to know they are doing their due diligence in accordance with state laws and to educate both offenders and local residents. Any offender who has a reportable conviction and who resides in North Carolina, moves to North Carolina, or is a non-resident student or worker in North Carolina must maintain registration in accordance with current laws.
Residential restrictions are also enforced where registered sex offenders are generally prohibited from living, such as within 1,000 feet of a public or non-public school or childcare center or within 300 feet of any place intended primarily for the use, care or supervision of minors. Such locations include but are not limited to schools, children’s museums, child care centers, nurseries, playgrounds or any place where minors frequently congregate, including libraries, arcades, amusement parks, recreation parks and swimming pools when minors are present. The State Fairgrounds are also prohibited during the period of time each year when the State Fair or North Carolina Mountain State Fair is conducted.
Registered offenders must comply with state laws pertaining to registry and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office strives to hold offenders accountable if they violate such laws. Offenders must report where they are residing, employed or attending institutions of higher education and must report all online identifiers. Furthermore, offenders are banned from accessing commercial networking sites that accept minor children as members or allow children to create or maintain personal web pages on the commercial social networking websites.
North Carolina Sex Offenders must maintain registration requirements for a minimum of 30 years. During criminal sentencing, a court order is required before certain sex offenders are classified. Certain offenders not classified as recidivists, aggravated offenders or sexually violent predators may petition for removal after being registered in North Carolina for ten (10) years and must petition the Superior Court where the offender was convicted in North Carolina. If an offender meets the criteria specified in NCGS 14-208.12A, then the court in its discretion may terminate the requirements to register.
Compliance checks by the Sheriff’s Office are conducted regularly throughout the year. It is not unusual for the offenders to see deputies knocking on their door or leaving some sort of notification of their presence. However, utilizing the services offered from both state and federal agencies made Operation Offender Blitz a successful team effort by all involved.
All of the registered sex offenders where residential checks were conducted in Henderson County were in compliance with state regulations. The following arrests were made on unrelated charges during Thursday’s operation:
· Anthony Wade Hollifield, age 45 of 29 N Holly Ln. in Fletcher, was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, felony maintaining veh/dwell/place of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Hollifield was held in the Henderson County Jail and was released after posting an $18,500.00 secured bond.
· Sheila Marie Woodham, age 43 of 29 N Holly Ln. in Fletcher, was charged with misdemeanor simple possession of schedule IV controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Woodham was held in the Henderson County Jail and was released after posting a $600.00 secured bond.
· Timothy Ian Matthews, age 34 of 120 Timberland Dr. in Etowah, was taken into custody for an outstanding warrant for misdemeanor larceny. Matthews was held at the Henderson County Jail and was released after posting a $500.00 secured bond.
A listing of Henderson County’s 124 registered sex offenders can be found at sexoffender.ncsbi.gov
