Darke County Sheriff Conducts Sex Offender Compliance Check

On October 23, 2013 the Darke County Sheriff’s Office conducted a verification sweep of all registered sex offenders in Darke County. The objective of the verification sweep was to ensure that all Darke County registered sex offenders were in compliance with sex offender registration laws. This operation was conducted with 11 teams of law enforcement officers and involved over 30 personnel. The following law enforcement agencies participated in this operation; Darke County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshal’s Service, Greenville Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Darke County Adult Probation Department, Ansonia Police Department, Arcanum Police Department and Union City Police Department. Collaboration with these multiple agencies was instrumental in the success of this operation.

It was no accident that the verification sweep occurred in close connection with upcoming Halloween events in Darke County. Darke County Sheriff Toby Spencer wanted the compliance checks to occur so that Darke County residents could be informed of the most current and accurate information on Darke County registered sex offenders. Darke County sex offender information is available through the Darke County Sheriff’s Office website, www.darkecountysheriff.org . Parents and caregivers of children participating in community trick or treat should utilize the available information to assist them in making informed decisions on safe locations for children to participate in trick or treat events. Other websites that can serve as educational and informational resources include the National Sex Offender Public Website, www.nsopw.gov and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children http://www.missingkids.com/home .

The sweep resulted in officers visiting 88 offender homes. All Darke County registered sex offenders were accounted for except for one which is currently listed at large and there is an ongoing investigation into this matter. There were three additional offenders discovered to be non compliant, however their current locations have been established and are updated. Investigations into their non compliant status will be conducted and the cases will be forwarded to the Darke County Prosecutor to review for charges. One offender, Michael Bunger was arrested for failure to notify. He was also discovered to be residing within 1000 feet of a school. In addition, offender Charles Robbins was arrested on a warrant for a probation violation.

According to information provided by the U.S. Marshal’s Service the average non compliance rate is approximately 10%. In the case of Darke County registered sex offenders, 4 out of the 88 were not compliant for a rate of 4.6 %. Sheriff Toby Spencer advises that such random checks will continue in the future. Any offenders found not to be in compliance will be dealt with according to law.