Sex offender compliance check nets multiple arrests

The Gibson County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshal Service recently completed a sex offender compliance check throughout Gibson County that resulted in multiple arrests.

Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas said the purpose of the operation was to ensure those individuals registered as sex offenders were living within the restrictions placed on them and were not committing any criminal offenses. During the two-day operation, deputies visited a total of 61 offenders at their listed addresses.

Thomas reported that Johnny Leach, John Branch, Michael Dupee, Michael Tubbs, Carol Butler, Gary Sims, Curtis Tate, Julius McElrath, James Loper, Billy Crowe, Scotty Ables, and Scott Johnstone were arrested for sexual offender registration form violations. Tate, Loper, and Crowe recently moved out of state and have outstanding warrants for their arrests on their files.

Dewell Reynolds was arrested for an outstanding warrant for sexual battery, and Dalton Leslie was arrested for an outstanding warrant for rape. Both warrants originated in Humboldt.

Each case will be heard separately in different venues of Gibson County courts. Thomas said that some of the individuals have pending court dates after posting bond and others were granted time served after making an initial court appearance when they weren’t able to post a bond.

“The Gibson County Sheriff’s Office is committed to keeping the citizens of our county safe, and those individuals that have found themselves on the sexual offender registry can expect home visits in the future to ensure they are compliant with the rules our legislators have put in place,” Thomas said. “There are varying levels of the registry, and not all individuals on the registry are bound by the same provisions. If you have any questions about someone you think may be on the registry, feel free to contact the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office at 731-855-1121 and ask for Investigator Maigon Shanklin.

“We would like to thank the US Marshal’s Service for partnering with us in this joint effort,” Thomas said. “Without them and the resources they have these type of operations wouldn’t be possible. The Marshal’s Service Sex Offender Investigation Branch reimbursed Gibson County for all overtime costs that accumulated during the compliance checks.”