The Miami County Sheriff’s Office conducted a mass Address Verification Sweep on all registered sex offenders in the county on October 17, 2023. This is the 11th consecutive year operating the sweep in this manner; however, the Office also added registered arson and violent offenders this year. The sweep was conducted in collaboration with 29 total law enforcement officials, working alongside 5 Sheriff’s Office deputies. Those other officials included deputies from the US Marshal’s Office, troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and officers from the Adult Parole Authority (APA), Common Pleas Court, Covington, Piqua, Tipp City, and Troy, Police Departments as well as assistance from the Miami County Communications Center.
No matter where a convicted offender lives in Ohio, as long as they are still required by law to register as a sex offender, they must report their residential address to the sheriff of the county in which they live. The Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) program keeps track of the offenders within each of Ohio’s 88 counties. Every sheriff is responsible for keeping track of registered offenders within their county. In Miami County, deputies are assigned to conduct random address checks quarterly throughout the year to ensure compliance.
Prior to today’s operation, between those checks and tips from the general public, the Sheriff’s Office has investigated 27 complaints of offenders possibly being out of compliance, and out of those investigations, nine addresses were eventually verified, charges were filed on 15 subjects for being found out of compliance, and they received either community control, jail or prison time for their violation(s) or are still awaiting their next court appearance. As of today, there are five outstanding warrants for out-of-compliance offenders, and three cases are still under investigation.
At of the beginning of the sweep today, there were 184 registered offenders in Miami County, and all registered addresses were checked, with 118 addresses being verified. There were six offenders found to potentially be out of compliance, and investigations are pending. Deputies will re-check All remaining addresses randomly between now and the end of the year to ensure those remaining offenders comply with their registration requirements. Should any of the remaining offenders be found to be non-compliant, investigations will be opened, and charges will be filed if necessary.
Sheriff Duchak would like to extend a big “Thanks!” to all of the agencies and the staff they provided to assist with the sweep this morning, as this operation wouldn’t be a success each year without all of their assistance!
For further information or questions about the SORN program or today’s operation, please call the Miami County Sheriff’s Office SORN Division at (937)335-8343 and ask for Carol Foster.
