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Chris Hosey Director at Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Chris Hosey Director at Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Crime

May: Number of registered sex offenders living in Locust Grove decline

Published 06/07/26

There was one less registered sex offender living in Locust Grove in May compared to the previous month, according to the Georgia Sex Offenders Registry.

Overall, there are 34 sex offenders currently living in Locust Grove.

The Registry shows that two of these sex offenders are 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 that eight 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.

Registered Sex Offenders in Locust Grove as of May
OffenderStatusCrime
Armin Daniel SaulsIncarceratedStatutory rape
Cedric KennardNot IncarceratedAggravated child molestation
Christopher Jody PughIncarceratedStatutory rape
Cruz Saenz Jr.Not IncarceratedSexual assault
Dante Craig OakleyNot IncarceratedChild molestation
Darrell G. BallardNot IncarceratedChild molestation
David Andrew BenefieldIncarceratedChild molestation
Deandre Hakeem BerryNot IncarceratedSexual battery against a child under 16 years of age
Defazio Sierra TaylorNot IncarceratedAggravated assault with an intent to rape
Donnyell Jermaine KingNot IncarceratedLewd or lascivious battery - sex with victim 12-15 years old
Erik Ryan LehmkuhleNot IncarceratedGross sexual imposition 3rd degree
Gerald Lee NewellNot IncarceratedAggravated child molestation
James Benjamin NelsonIncarceratedSexual battery
James Matthew SmithIncarceratedCriminal attempt to commit child molestation
Jason Darrell ToddNot IncarceratedChild molestation
Jason Raymond StevensNot IncarceratedPossession of child pornography on computer
Jesstin Marquis HowardIncarceratedStatutory rape
John Andrew BrownNot IncarceratedSodomy - felony
John Kenneth HortonNot IncarceratedSexual exploitation of children
John Monroe Barnes Jr.IncarceratedSexual battery against a child under 16 years of age
Leonard MoatsNot IncarceratedChild molestation
Michael Anthony McKeithenNot IncarceratedChild molestation
Michael Todd WheelerNot IncarceratedAttempted sexual battery
Norman Andrew SheildsNot IncarceratedLewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14
Ontarius Dontea WelchNot IncarceratedChild molestation
Randolph Lee KingNot IncarceratedSexual battery by an adult on a child under 12 years of age
Richard Conley SmithNot IncarceratedAggravated child molestation
Roger Thomas MorrisIncarceratedStatutory rape
Tabios Lamar PhinazeeNot IncarceratedSexual battery against a child under 16 years of age
Terrance Bernard WatsonNot IncarceratedAggravated assault with an intent to rape
Timothy Bernard HarperNot IncarceratedSecond degree sexual assault
Travis Octavius RozierNot IncarceratedCriminal attempt to commit a felony
William Jonpierre SandersNot IncarceratedSexual offense
Winfred Lewis AkinsNot IncarceratedObscene internet contact - obscene communication

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