According to reports, a 23-year-old sex offender was recently taken into custody after authorities determined that he allegedly failed to update his address when he moved to Leonardtown, Maryland. The man is originally from Virginia, and he reportedly is a registered sex offender in that state.
Sources indicate that on March 2, a detective from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s office received information that the man had recently moved to Maryland and that he had failed to notify the office of his change in residence within the required time frame. After obtaining a search warrant on March 4, authorities went to the man’s home and detained him without incident. He was taken to a detention center where he faces charges for failing to provide an updated change of address. Further investigation revealed that he has an outstanding warrant for related sex crimes in Virginia and was also served with a fugitive warrant.
In Maryland, anyone convicted of a sexual crime needs to register, and the requirements for sex offender registration vary depending on the type of offense. Crimes are categorized by Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3, and the date of the crime and the age of the victim also affects the length of registration.
Maryland enforces strict laws related to sex offender registration; convicted individuals are to register any changes in address or information within three business days in the state of Maryland. If the offender fails to do this, he or she may face a fine up to $5,000 and a prison sentence of up to three years. A criminal defense lawyer might be able to argue that a client was within the allotted time frame permitted for sex offender registration or help the client build a defense against related charges.
Source: Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, “Sex Offender Registry FAQs”
Source: TheBayNet.com, “Registered sex offender charged with failing to provide change of address“, March 04, 2014
