16 registered sex offenders live in Young Harris as of May
The Registry shows this sex offenders is not a sexual predators. In Georgia, a sexual predator is an individual who is determined by the Sexual Offender Registration Review Board to be at risk of perpetrating any future dangerous sexual offense.
The Registry also shows three of these sex offenders are currently incarcerated.
Sex offenders in Georgia remain on the Sexual Offender Registry for life unless removed by a court order or other legal means. Any individual who fails to register when required “shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than 30 years,” according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Under Georgia law, sex offenders must register with the sheriff in their county of residence, employment, and schooling. They must update their information within 10 days of any change and notify authorities when moving in or out of state.
The number of registered sex offenders in the U.S. reached approximately 795,000 as of August 2024, an increase of nearly 43,000 individuals (about 6%) since 2019. In the same month, Georgia’s registry listed nearly 25,000 individuals.
| Offender | Status | Crime |
|---|---|---|
| Belinda Beth Hehir | not incarcerated | Child molestation |
| David L. Stowe | not incarcerated | Strongarm sexual assault and sodomy |
| David Lynn Carroll | not incarcerated | Enticing a child for indecent purposes |
| Donathan Nathaniel Shelton | not incarcerated | Indecent liberty minor |
| Ethan Daniel Kuykendall | not incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Jake Robert Cole | not incarcerated | Sexual exploitation of children |
| Jeremy Brandon Burke | not incarcerated | Child molestation |
| John Ryan Croker | not incarcerated | Federal/military sex crime conviction |
| Joseph Milton Southern | not incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Joshua Thomas Bryant | not incarcerated | Sexual offense-handling and fondling a child under 16 |
| Kolby William Starner | incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Michael Alan Reaid | not incarcerated | Federal sexual offense |
| Nicholas James Lunsford | incarcerated | Unlawful sexual contact |
| Scott Porter Swanson | not incarcerated | Sexual exploitation of children |
| Wade Allen Huffman | incarcerated | Unlawful sexual conduct with minor |
| William Michael Hays | not incarcerated | Child molestation |