U.S.Marshals: Operation Neighborhood Watch Completed in Shelby County, Ohio

Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies Join Forces to Protect our Communities

The United States Marshals Service in the Southern District of Ohio, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Jackson Center Police Department, State of Ohio Adult Parole Authority and the Shelby County Adult Probation, conducted a joint law enforcement compliance operation designed to verify the current residences of offenders living in Shelby County Ohio.

On September 27 – September 28, 2011, Deputy Sheriffs, Deputy U.S. Marshals, Adult Parole and Probation Officers, along with officers from Jackson Center Police, teamed up to verify the residences of 107 registered sex offenders. Sex offenders registered as living in the county were checked to verify that they were living were they registered. This initiative is a collaborative law enforcement effort that is designed to keep the public safe by ensuring that these offenders are complying with sex offender registration obligations and residing where they have reported.

In Shelby County, 4 offenders were found to be out of compliance and were arrested. In addition, one subject was arrested for probation violation for being in possession of drug paraphernalia and having prohibited pornography. Investigations will be continuing on 3 additional sex offenders who may be out of compliance with their registration requirements.

Senior Inspector Bill Taylor of the Dayton United States Marshals Office said, “Most law enforcement agencies do not have the resources to conduct an operation like this alone. By combining the resources of several agencies we have accomplished our main task, which was insuring the convicted sex offenders were in compliance with the law and living where they have reported. We have arrested several offenders who were not in compliance and made our communities safer.

In addition to the arrests made for being non-compliant and for probation violation, one offender was found to be sending and receiving sexually explicit material over the internet. The alleged victim in this case is a minor believed to be living in another country. This investigation will be ongoing and could result in several federal violations."