Local News
Convicted sex offender arrested for failure to register
By Patrick McCrelessPATRICKM@CULLMANTIMES.COM
Cullman County Sheriff’s deputies recently discovered an unregistered convicted sex offender had been living in Crane Hill for over a year while investigating a routine civil dispute.
Deputies arrested Philip Keith Davis, 50, of County Road 933 at his residence Thursday and charged him with failure to notify a change of address. Sgt. Matt Hogue of the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office said Davis had moved to the area from Mayes, Okla.
“He moved here and didn’t notify,” Hogue said. “He’s required by law to notify the sheriff of the county he’s moving to.”
Hogue said Davis was not living anywhere near a school or daycare center and that the sheriff’s office has not received any sex-related complaints concerning him.
Hogue said deputies were investigating the unrelated civil dispute at Davis’s residence on Tuesday when they received information he might be a sex offender.
According to sheriff’s reports, Davis was convicted in Oklahoma of the sexual battery of a person less than 16 years old.
“After receiving a copy of that conviction, we learned he had been living there for at least the past year,” Hogue said.
Hogue said that Davis had notified authorities in Oklahoma of his plans to move to Alabama. He added Oklahoma never contacted the sheriff’s office, noting that law enforcement agencies are not required to notify each other of sex offender address changes.
“That’s a problem,” Hogue said.
While communication is not always the best between agencies in different states, Hogue said local law enforcement communication is a different matter.
“We have a lot of local participation ... if a guy (sex offender) is moving from here to Jefferson County, we’ll call them up and say ‘Hey, he’s coming,’” Hogue said.
Davis was incarcerated at the Cullman County Detention Center but was soon released on a $5,000 bond.
Failure to notify a change of address is a Class C felony, punishable by as much as 10 years in prison.
There are currently 135 sex offenders registered with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office. All the sex offenders can be viewed at the sheriff office’s web site at www.cullmansheriff.org.
- Local News
-
-
Train vs. car, no one injured
Sean Hart, 32, had driven County Road 917 at least a hundred times to reach his Johnson’s Crossing home, but Thursday afternoon was different.
-
Train vs. car, no one injured
Sean Hart, 32, had driven County Road 917 at least a hundred times to reach his Johnson’s Crossing home, but Thursday afternoon was different.
-
Wrong number leads to drug arrest
If you’re calling someone to set up a drug buy, it’s important to make sure you dial the correct number first.
-
Taste of Cullman event raises $8,000
The annual Taste of Cullman event raised approximately $8,000 for the Cullman County United Way Tuesday night.
-
School H1N1 clinics to start Mon.
Local schools will begin hosting free H1N1 swine flu vaccine clinics next week for elementary students.
-
Farm family recognized at annual banquet
Sam and Cynthia Black and family were honored as the 2010 Farm family of the year at the annual Farm-City Banquet Thursday evening at the Cullman Civic Center.
-
Annual Farm-City banquet Thursday at Cullman Civic Center
The Farm-City Banquet will be Thursday at the Cullman Civic Center at 6:30 p.m.
-
Commissioner takes Smith Lake water proposal to town council
County commissioner Wayne Willingham addressed West Point’s town council Monday evening regarding the county’s proposed Smith Lake water project.
-
LePard trial pushed to Dec.
The trial for Derrick LePard, a former Cold Springs teacher accused of extortion and attempting to produce obscene matter of a child, should move forward in early December.
-
County commission not satisfied with city Duck River contract
The Cullman County Commission will not sign onto the city’s Duck River water plan until certain aspects of the project contract are addressed.
-
Man with meth lab in bag attempts to elude deputies
Cullman County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a local man Thursday after he allegedly tried to elude them while carrying a bag of meth-making materials.
- More Local News Headlines
-
