An elderly sex offender, who’d been on the run for more than two decades, was captured Friday in Florida after living under a fake name for years in Pasco County, authorities announced Monday.

The U.S. Marshals Service says 75-year-old Phillip Jenison was convicted for molestation in 1995, but he never registered as a sex offender when he got out of prison in 1999. According to investigators, he became Idaho’s longest-absconded sex offender.

Marshals in Tampa say they figured out Jenison had been living in Pasco County, under the alias Philip Kane, since at least 2000.

They then tracked him to Dixie County, where he was arrested. As of Monday afternoon, Jenison was in the Dixie County Jail awaiting extradition to Idaho.

“The U.S Marshals Service remains relentless in its pursuit of sex offenders
who attempt to evade justice for the crimes they commit against children.” U.S. Marshal Bill Berger of the Middle District of Florida wrote in a statement.

Jenison will face new charges of failing to register as a sex offender in Dixie and Pasco counties.

What other people are reading right now:

JONES COUNTY, Ga. — The Jones County Sheriff’s Office needs your help locating a wanted sex offender who may have stolen a car and left the area.

According to a news release, Bibb deputies found out on Friday that registered sex offender, 39-year-old Adam Carrick, failed to register an address with the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office says Carrick is banned from living in Jones County, but he was later found to be living there since mid-February.

A warrant was issued for arrest because he failed to register, and it’s believed he stole a car and left Jones County after finding out about the warrant.

Authorities are asking for people to be on the lookout for Carrick. They said the stolen vehicle is a silver Ford Focus with tag number BYM3671.

Anyone with information on his location or the stolen vehicle can call the Jones County Sheriff’s Office at 478-986-3489.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A sex offender on probation is back behind bars, accused of offering a 14-year-old girl a T-shirt or a gaming gift card in exchange for sex.

Unbeknownst to Jeramy Lee Vanderkodde, there was no 14-year-old girl, just a Kent County sheriff’s detective playing the part.

VanderKodde was arrested when he showed up for a pre-arranged meeting – gaming gift card in hand.

“We use a multitude of tools to identify and investigate sex offenders, all in hopes of keeping kids safe,’’ said Kent County Sheriff’s Sgt. Joy Matthews.

It’s familiar territory for Vanderkodde, 43, who lists an address in Wyoming.

He made headlines three years ago when Michigan State Police arrested Vanderkodde for soliciting sex from a 12-year-old girl. He used the internet to communicate with the girl and arrange a meeting at shopping mall parking lot, police said at the time.

A Kent County judge placed VanderKodde on probation for five years; he also joined Michigan’s sex offender registry.

The most recent investigation got underway in late December. It involved a Kent County sheriff’s detective posing as a 14-year-old girl, court records show. VanderKodde responded to a Craigslist ad and began communicating via text messaging, court records show.

He drove to a prearranged location north of Grand Rapids on Jan. 5 to meet with whom he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He was arrested after providing another undercover detective with a gaming gift card, court records show.

VanderKodde was charged with four counts, including using the internet to communicate with another to commit a crime – specifically, child sexually abusive activity. It’s a 20-year felony. He’s also charged with child sexually abusive activity, another 20-year felony.

VanderKodde earlier this week waived a hearing in 63rd District Court, moving his case to Kent County Circuit Court. He remains in the Kent County Jail on a $150,000 bond.

Matthews said child sex predators are using the internet with greater frequency and resolve.

“A lot of these perpetrators, they communicate with hundreds of children at the same time, sending the same message to hundreds of children just to see which child is willing to take the bait,’’ she said. “We have to constantly reinforce to these kids that the internet can be a dangerous place.’’

Related stories:

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A 42-year-old registered sex offender has been arrested and is accused of sexually assaulting a young teen he met online, according to Fort Collins Police Services (FCPS).

Detectives determined that Nathaniel Strauss initiated conversation with the victim through a social meetup app and told the victim he was 28, FCPS said.

The two arranged to meet on several occasions and engaged in sexual activity, according to FCPS.

The victim’s parents contacted police after learning about the interactions and shared concerns about their child’s involvement with an adult male. Upon further investigation, detectives identified the suspect as Strauss, who is a registered sex offender.

“Predators often use social apps to find underage victims and engage in grooming behavior, like complimenting them, giving gifts, and offering them a place to stay,” said Sgt. Heather Moore, who leads the FCPS Crimes Against Persons Unit. “This disturbing pattern of behavior often culminates in illegal activity that can result in lasting physical and emotional harm to victims.”

Strauss faces the following charges:

Police are concerned that other underage victims may exist.

Anyone with information about this suspect or case, who has not already spoken to police, is encouraged to contact Det. Laura Knudsen at 970-416-2771.

People who wish to remain anonymous may also contact Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868 or stopcriminals.org.

FORSYTH, Ga. — The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has arrested one wanted sex offender, and now they need your help finding another.

According to a news release, Jodie Fitzgerald was arrested Monday on outstanding warrants related to absconding and violating sex offender registry requirements.

The sheriff’s office says they had been looking to arrest him since Aug. 2020.

They now need your help locating another man, identified as Adan Garcia, who they believe might have run away to Mexico.

If you have any information on Garcia, you are asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office or U.S. Marshals Service.

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE READING

Halloween is nearly here and for many, that means costumes and candy…and that’s about it.

Some parents, however, are probably thinking about their kids’ safety just as much as their inevitable sugar high.

Houston County Assistant District Attorney Eric Edwards says it’s “probably the only point in the year when most parents will be letting their kids go to strangers’ houses and asking for candy.”

When a child knocks on a door, it’s hard to know who’s waiting behind it.

Law enforcement agencies in central Georgia are working to keep kids safe this Halloween.

Sergeant Clay Williams with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office says people on the sex offender registry do not need to report to county officials for supervision on the night of Halloween like some do in a city near Augusta, but he says police will be conducting random checks at sex offenders’ homes on October 31.

In Houston County, Chief Patrick Cole with the Department of Community Supervision’s Warner Robins office says a similar policy is in place. People on the registry don’t need to turn themselves in, but law enforcement will be checking on where registered sex offenders are the night of Halloween.

Houston County assistant district attorney Eric Edwards says parents also have a role to play “because this is probably the only time of the year parents are going to be letting their kids go to strangers houses…asking for candy.”

Here are two ways to help make sure the door they knock on doesn’t belong to a registered sex offender.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintains a statewide sex offender registry with the home addresses of everyone on it. You can look up specific streets and see if any registered sex offenders live there. The website can be accessed here.

You can also download this mobile app from the Department of Justice. The app provides information on sex offenders who have registered addresses near the current location of the mobile device and can be used on the go.

MACON, Ga. — It’s Halloween eve, and while kids are preparing for trick-or-treating, law enforcement is preparing to keep those children safe from sex offenders. 

This week, a federal judge ruled that posting warning signs outside some offenders’ homes in Butts County is unconstitutional.

While that decision was specific to three sex offenders in Butts County, Monroe County Sheriff Brad Freeman says his deputies will now abide by this example.

“For the past several years, we’ve closely monitored [sex offenders] and placed signs in their yards, warning anyone that would go there to trick-or-treat that this residence was a convicted sex offender,” says Freeman. 

Freeman says if the offender didn’t want to place a sign in their yard, they reported to the sheriff’s office on the night of October 31st, but this year, he says offenders aren’t required to do either.

That decision comes after Federal Judge Marc Treadwell ruled it was unconstitutional for Butts County Sheriff Gary Long to place a similar notice on some offenders’ front doors.

Christopher Reed, Reginald Holden, and Corey McClendon asked for an injunction against Long at the beginning of October after learning that he planned to post signs outside their homes again this year on Halloween. 

“This is vanity. This is them picking on a particularly vulnerable group of citizens,” says the plaintiff’s attorney, Mark Yurachek. “They’re just looking to live quiet, private lives.”

On Tuesday, Judge Treadwell ruled in the sex offenders’ favor, saying the three men appeared to be rehabilitated and living law-abiding lives. He wrote that there was no evidence that the three posed any threat to children.

“It’s my understanding that the ruling was specifically for the three individuals that sued, that were in Butts County. However, it’s my theory that if it applied to those three, what would make it not apply to the others? And I just don’t want to find out in federal court that it did apply to those,” says Freeman. 

Freeman says ahead of trick-or-treat time, his deputies are “double-checking” on each Monroe County sex offender’s home address, and will be patrolling the streets on Halloween night.

The Georgia sex offender registry is public and is open to everyone online. You can type in your address to see if any registered sex offenders live near you or on the streets you’re planning to take your children trick-or-treating on.

To view the registry, click here. 

Taking a closer look at other Central Georgia counties, 13WMAZ asked some other law enforcement agencies about their Halloween plans. 

We couldn’t find any other departments posting signs to alert people about sex offenders, but here’s what some agencies are doing:

– Sergeant Tim Leonard with Houston County’s Sexual Offender Registry also says officers will drive past sex offenders houses to check up.

– Dublin Police Chief Tim Chatman says they don’t have any specific requirements for sex offenders, but will have extra officers on the street to keep kids safe.

– Peach County requires sex offenders on probation to come to the courthouse for a few hours, according to Sheriff Terry Deese.

– Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee says they’ll have two officers assigned to monitor the county’s sex offenders Thursday.

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Texas — A child sex offender accused of failing to register was arrested on Wednesday morning in Beaumont after a search warrant was carried out at a Beaumont home. 

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office found ‘evidence’ after a tip was received through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the upload of child pornography to a cloud storage account. 

Johnny Carl Hutson, 56, was arrested on a failure to register as a sex offender warrant  and his bond has been set at $250,000. 

Hutson was convicted in 2009 of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Officials say he didn’t continue to register as a sex offender once placed on parole. 

The investigation continues and investigators expect additional charges to be filed on Hutson. 

From a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office news release:

This morning, the 30th day of September 2020, investigators with the Office of Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Unit along Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Investigators executed an evidentiary search warrant at a residence in Beaumont for Possession or Promotion of Child Pornography.

This search warrant is the result a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline Report involving the upload of child pornography to a cloud storage account.

Evidence was seized and 56 year old Johnny Carl Hutson was arrested on a Failure to Register as a Sex Offender warrant. His bond was set at $250,000.00.

Hutson was previously convicted in 2008 of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and sentenced to 10 years in Texas Department of Corrections. Once paroled, he failed to continue to register as a Sex Offender.

This investigation continues and additional charges are expected to be filed.

HIDALGO, Texas — Border patrol agents in Texas recently arrested two convicted child predators who were allegedly in the country illegally, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

State troopers contacted the border patrol for help making a traffic stop in Hidalgo. Agents interviewed the occupants of the vehicle and determined both were in the country illegally.

The pair were arrested and during a check of their backgrounds, they found one of them was a registered sex offender. Jorge Gamez-Salas was previously convicted in Dallas County for Indecency with a Child where he was sentenced to two years confinement, records show.

Two days later, agents in the same area arrested Fernando Luna-Mendoza after he also allegedly entered the country illegally. Record checks revealed a previous arrest in Henderson County, southeast of Dallas, where he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony. He received five years confinement in that case.

Both offenders were reported to be Mexican nationals.

“The public is encouraged to take a stand against crime in their communities and report suspicious activity at 800-863-9382,” noted border officials. “Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation.  The U.S. Border Patrol agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector will continue to safeguard the nation and community against these criminal elements.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif — California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 145 into law on Friday.

The bill’s author, State Senator Scott Wiener, said the controversy over SB 145 was based on people’s misunderstanding of the changes and some lies about it. 

What is SB 145?

Current California law treats cases of statutory rape differently depending on what type of penetration occurred.

For cases involving a young adult and a minor where vaginal intercourse took place, a judge can decide whether or not to place the person convicted of statutory rape on the sex offender registry.

Before SB 145, the judge had to order that the person convicted to register as a sex offender should the rape include oral or anal sex.

SB 145 would eliminate automatic sex offender registration for young adults who have anal or oral sex with a minor. Instead, a judge would make the decision, just as they do now in cases involving vaginal intercourse.

This bill does not change the fact that it is illegal for an adult to have sex with a minor. SB 145 was meant to affect cases where the minor is a teenager between ages 14 to 17, and the offender, an adult, within a 10-year age range.

Why does this law matter?

Wiener (D-San Francisco) said in a press release that this new law was “ending blatant discrimination against LGBTQ young people.” 

“It’s appalling that in 2020, California continues to discriminate against LGBTQ people, by mandating that LGBTQ young people be placed on the sex offender registry in situations where straight people aren’t required to be placed on the registry,” Wiener said.

Wiener said the bill faced strong opposition from a “massive Trump, QAnon, and MAGA misinformation campaign.

“A 19-year-old has a 17-year-old girlfriend, and they have sex, that is statutory rape. But the law right now says that the judge does not have to put that 19-year-old boy on the sex offender registry because of the kind of sex that they were having,” Wiener said. “But if it’s a 19-year-old boy having sex with a 17-year-old boyfriend, the judge must put that 19-year-old onto the sex offender registry, even if it was completely consensual, even if they were boyfriends, even if there was nothing coercive or predatory about it.” 

The bill has sparked a lot of comments on ABC10’s and Senator Scott Wiener’s Facebook pages, including false claims that the bill would make it so an 18-year-old could rape an 8-year-old.

“This bill has no application to anyone under the age of 14,” Wiener said. “And that age range is an existing category in the law. It has existed for almost 100 years.”

Despite death threats and negative comments directed toward Wiener, the bill passed.

“[It’s been] supported by law enforcement, both the district attorneys and police chiefs support this bill, the rape crisis centers support this bill,” Wiener said.