U.S. marshals and Lowndes County sheriff’s deputies continue to search for a convicted sex offender this week.
Jesse Steven Shelton, 41, was convicted in 1999 of attempted sodomy in the first degree. He is a white male, 6 feet tall, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He weighs 155 pounds and has tattoos on both arms and a tattoo of a skull on his right shoulder, according to the state sex-offender registry website.
Shelton was among eight of the county’s 73 registered sex offenders flagged last week during a routine check for noncompliance with the sex-offender registry law. The remaining seven have been arrested.
Sex offenders are required to verify their address every 90 days and reregister with the state Department of Public Safety whenever they change address. Failure to do so is a felony and is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to five years or both.
Shelton is believed to have moved out of state, Lowndes County Chief Deputy Greg Wright said.
Charlie Johnson, 52, of 45 Parra Drive, Lot 7, was also being sought for noncompliance with the registry law, but he turned himself in to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Monday at 10:19 a.m., according to Maj. Marc Miley of the sheriff’s department. Johnson was released on a $5,000 bond.
Anyone with information on Shelton’s whereabouts should contact the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at 662-328-6788.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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