An 85-year-old snowbird sex offender has been jailed without bond after daring law enforcement to “come get me.”
John Peter Higgins, who splits his time between Darien, Ill. and his home at 927 Bristol Terrace in the Village of Ashland, was booked Thursday at the Sumter County Detention Center.
In 2012, he was convicted on a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under the age of 13 in DuPage County, Illinois. He had kissed and fondled a young girl.
He acquired his home in The Villages in 2014.
Sumter County sheriff’s deputies became aware that he had not fulfilled his statutory responsibility to properly register his sex offender status here.
A detective called Wednesday and a left a message on Higgins’ cell phone, advising him of the need to come in and register. Another law enforcement made a second call to Higgins.
“Come get me,” he told the deputy.
However, Higgins later showed up at the sheriff’s office, but apparently grew impatient and refused to wait to follow the proper procedure.
“Come get me,” he once again dared the deputies.
He walked out of the jail without registering.
The Chicago native was arrested on a third-degree felony charge of failure to register as a sex offender.
