Sex offender charged for failing to register
A convicted sex offender who moved here from New York has been bound over to the grand jury for failing to list himself with the state sexual offender registry.
The suspect, Edward C. Miller, was bound on the felony charge this past week after entering a plea agreement to the charge in General Sessions Court, something prosecutors later discovered was not allowed since the offense was a felony. The plea, which netted Miller the required minimum 180-day jail term, was then withdrawn and Miller bound.
Miller is the latest in a number of defendants facing jail time for failure to list themselves with the state’s sexual offender registry. The registry, accessible via the TBI Web site, shows the offender’s picture, address and convicted offense and is meant so the public and law enforcement can keep up with convicted sex offenders. A search of Warren County revealed there are 23 sex offenders registered here, two of whom have moved here from out of state. Ten of the total are listed for statutory rape.
In the case of Miller, the suspect failed to list himself when he moved here from New York. The failure to list was discovered when lawmen here ran a background check on him as they were answering a call.
State law requires any sex offender to list his or herself within a short time of relocating. The crime was recently increased to a felony from its former misdemeanor status. A person convicted of not listing must serve a minimum 180 days. Miller, should he plea in circuit court as he did in sessions, will likely get the mandatory 180-day sentence again.