Deputies and state probation officers arrested 25 registered sex offenders and predators in the weeks before Halloween, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Monday. The total includes 24 sexual offenders and one sexual predator, and the Sheriff’s Office said the checks ran through October 31.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Corrections probation officers ran the Halloween compliance initiative together. They checked that convicted offenders and predators follow Florida’s registration laws, and that people on probation follow the terms of their supervision.
Checks on Halloween night
Offenders and predators on probation answer to the Department of Corrections. According to the Sheriff’s Office, their probation bars them from Halloween activities, including contact with children, handing out candy or treats, and putting up Halloween decorations.
On Halloween, detectives and probation officers confirmed compliance by 300 offenders and predators and made 126 searches, the agency said.
Polk County has 1,448 registrants: 1,278 sexual offenders, 152 sexual predators and 18 juvenile sex offenders. The Sheriff’s Office checks them every quarter. State law requires a check at least once a year.
What led to the arrests
The Sheriff’s Office said the arrests fell into two broad groups: registration violations and probation violations.
Six of those arrested face accusations of failing to register during their required month: Charles Bailey, John Burgess, Raymond Holcomb, Robin Scott, Sean Mcilwain and Todd Hunsicker. Two others, Derricko Williams and Ronnie Ross, were arrested for failing to register a vehicle within 48 hours. Williams faces 12 counts of failure to comply with sexual offender registration laws. Ron Copeland was arrested for failing to update his address within 48 hours of establishing a new permanent residence.
The most serious new charge involved 134 counts of possession of child pornography against David Scheib. The Sheriff’s Office said the charges followed a search of his cloud-based accounts. Scheib is a registered sex offender based on a 2013 conviction for possession of child pornography.
Several arrests came from probation violations. The agency said:
- Arnulfo Morales, the one sexual predator arrested, failed to carry his electronic monitoring device outside his home.
- Jakob Campbell had an electronic device with internet access.
- Matthew Thompson had contact with a minor without permission from his probation officer or the court.
- Russell Harwell tested positive for alcohol.
- James Fullwood was arrested for petit theft, and Jonathan Ortiz for domestic violence. Both arrests violated their probation.
Ventrell Martin was arrested on warrants for absconding from registration and battery on a law enforcement officer, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Dylan Garcia was arrested for failing to charge his electronic monitoring device as directed, which violated his pretrial release conditions.
All 25 people are registered based on prior convictions. The Sheriff’s Office listed each conviction in its release. Arrests and charges are accusations, and the people named are presumed innocent of any new charges unless a court finds otherwise.
Sheriff’s statement
Sheriff Grady Judd said in the release:
“We hope everyone had a very safe Halloween, made even safer due to the hard work of our deputies and probation officers ensuring that these sex offenders and predators are complying with their court-mandated registrations and requirements. We do not tolerate any violation of sex offender registration laws or probation requirements.”
Florida law requires registrants to keep their information current, including their address, email addresses, internet identifiers, phone numbers, employment and every vehicle they own. The law sets deadlines for reporting changes. The Sheriff’s Office said the sweep covered all of Polk County.