Georgia Man on the Run After Allegedly Failing to Register as Sex Offender

Authorities in Cherokee County have reported that for the second time, a sexual battery convict is on the run after failing to register and verify his address with the Georgia Sex Offender Registry.

The suspect was convicted of sexual battery in Georgia in 2013. He was sentenced to five years of probation in connection to the conviction. By 2015, he had failed to register for the first time. This led to a conviction for failing to register as a sex offender in Georgia which resulted him serving ten months in prison. As a result, his probation was extended. However, now the same incident is allegedly happening again.

As a Georgia Sex Crimes Attorney, I will outline the law behind the offense of failing to register. There are several different sex crimes in Georgia that upon conviction require a person to register as a sex offender - failing to do so will result in another conviction. See below.

Failing to Register as a Sex Offender in Georgia

There are certain crimes which require the individual (if convicted of the crime) to register as a Sex Offender in Georgia. These offenses include but are not limited to:

• Aggravated Child Molestation in Georgia
• Aggravated Sodomy
• Public Indecency in Georgia
• Rape in Georgia
• Sexual Assault in Georgia

As I mentioned above, the list is not exclusive. There are many other offenses that can lead to the necessary registration to the Official Sex Registry List.

According to the Georgia Code, in O.C.G.A. §42-1-12, the criminal offense of failure to register as a sex offender in Georgia is outlined as violating the any of the following rules regarding registration:

1. Provide the required information to the appropriate law enforcement official before you are released from prison or placed on parole, supervised release, or probation;

2. Register in person with the sheriff of the county in which you reside within 72 hours after your release

3. If you are homeless, you still have 72 hours to notify the sheriff of the county where you sleep.

If an individual fails to register as a sex offender in Georgia, there are serious repercussions. For a first time conviction for failing to register is punished by a prison term between one and thirty years. For a second time conviction for failing to register will be a prison term between five and thirty years.

Practice Note

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