Law Enforcement Agencies along with the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office united on September 4, 2019 through September 6, 2019, for Operation Summer Sweep. The purpose of the three-day operation was to verify sex offender registration compliance according to Arkansas state law and in order to proactively protect the public from sex offenders who may pose a high risk of reoffending after release from custody.
Officers from the Hot Springs Police Department, Garland County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas Community Corrections, Arkansas State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, 18th East Drug Task Force and the United States Marshals Service conducted the Registered Sex Offender compliance checks. The compliance checks included confirming that there were no violations of social media user account regulations, verification of school and employment information, and conducting home visits of the over 300 Registered Sex Offenders living in the Garland County Area.
There were multiple teams made up of all the listed agencies that checked 34 Level I, 160 Level II, 97 Level III and 15 Level IV Registered Sex Offenders during the three-day sweep.
In total, six individuals were arrested for various non-compliance violations or new offenses. The charges ranged from registration and reporting violations, illegal firearm possession, and possession of child pornography. Three firearms in the possession of convicted felons were seized during the operation resulting in felony charges. Additionally, twenty individuals from this operation are currently under investigation for registration compliance. Electronic evidence was collected and has been submitted for analysis which may result in additional charges filed when that analysis is complete.
The Hot Springs Police Department has investigators that routinely monitor the sex offenders to determine whether they are in compliance with the registration and reporting requirements mandated by Arkansas state law. These detectives charge and arrest the offenders that are in violation of the law. Their diligent work shows with these checks and how many offenders were in compliance.
The Sheriff’s Department website and the Hot Springs Police Department website both have links the Arkansas Sex Offender Registry which allows you to see if any sex offenders are in your area, or you can go directly to the State ACIC site at https://www.ark.org/offender-search/index.php
Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Lawrence, Hot Springs Police Chief Jason Stachey, and Garland County Sheriff Mike McCormick wish to extend their sincere gratitude to all the officers and agencies who dedicated their time and efforts to ensure the safety of the citizens of Garland County and made Operation Summer Sweep a success. A special thank you is extended from these agencies to the Office of Emergency Management, who loaned their facilities to serve as this join operation command post.
The following individuals were arrested for the list charges:
