Louisiana has its fair share of registered sex offenders. The problem with them is not generally that they repeat their offenses. Most of them encounter trouble by not properly reporting under the sex offender registration law, according to police and criminal defense attorneys.
The registration law in Louisiana, much like similar laws around the country, has very harsh reporting requirements. There is a seemingly bottomless pit of registration requirements that many individuals find difficult to keep up with. That fact may have something to do with the arrest of a 26-year-old recently in Caddo Parish by sheriff’s deputies.
The man’s first offense was for indecent behavior in 2014. He served out his term of punishment and was released from prison in Aug. 2017. However, the sentencing order also required compliance with the registered sex offender law. His brushes with the law since his release have been about the reporting requirements. Indeed, one chief deputy in another state reports that most of the charges brought against registered offenders involve their failure to register appropriately.
When a registered offender goes daily from one county where he lives into another county where he works, he must register in each county. The Caddo County suspect was reported by a concerned parent who observed the man driving the food truck and allegedly stopping to sell near parks and schools. The suspect had a properly issued license for his business and for the food truck, according to a local media station that investigated the arrest.
The police claim that the accused did not register a work address on his Louisiana vehicle, which was a violation because he owned a food trailer and a food truck business. Because the accused took his food business into other parts of the state, and even into other states, police are investigating whether he committed other registration violations for which he can be arrested and charged. The news station reports that the accused took all steps to update his registration information after being released from jail on the recent alleged violations. His criminal defense to the charges may be that he acted in good faith, tried to engage in proper reporting, and had no criminal intent.