Registered Jacksonville sex offender runs after being handcuffed

A Jacksonville man who is a registered sex offender is on the run, possibly still handcuffed. According to a report in the Florida Times Union, the man was at the Jacksonville Re-Entry Center trying to register as required by Florida law and the police discovered that he had failed to register sometime in the past. Police arrested and handcuffed the man before letting him go to the restroom. The man allegedly jumped out of the bathroom window and is still at large. He was required to register because he had been convicted of Lewd or Lascivious Battery in Duval County. There are now two sex crime warrants outstanding for the man.

In Jacksonville and all over the State of Florida, convicted sex offenders and predators must submit all of their information to a registry. Of all crimes, sex crimes are the only ones that will follow you visibly in the community for the rest of your life. If you are adjudicated guilty or receive a withhold of adjudication on a sex crime, you must register in the county where you reside. This requirement also applies to convictions by a military tribunal, including courts-martial by the Armed Forces of the United States. Some examples of crimes that require registration are sexual battery, lewd or lascivious molestation or battery, unlawful sexual activity with a minor, sexual performance by a child, possession of computer child pornography, kidnapping a child under 13 and false imprisonment of a child under 13 years of age.

If you are required to register, within 48 hours of being released from custody or from moving into Florida, you have to:

1. Give your date of birth, social security number, race, sex, height, weight, tattoos, fingerprints, palm prints, etc. to the registration site.
2. Give you current address. If you live in a trailer or mobile home, in addition to the address, you must give the vehicle identification number, tag number and color of the vehicle.
3. If employed, in school or a volunteer, you must tell the registry every place you go pertaining to that work, school or volunteer site.
4. Any changes to any of the above information must be reported within 48 hours. Even if you are homeless, you must report where you sleep at night.

If you do not comply with any of these requirements, a Jacksonville warrant will be issued for your arrest under the charge of Failure to Register/Comply with Sex Offender Requirements. This is a third degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. If you are even accused of a sex crime, it is of the utmost importance to consult with an Experienced Duval County Sex Crime Attorney immediately.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Jacksonville Sex Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.