A sex offender in Lake Panasoffkee was arrested for failing to re-register while on interstate probation.
Michael John Morris, 60, was found guilty of two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years of age on July 22, 2003, in Muscogee, Georgia, according to the Florida Sex Offender Registry. Since then, he has been required to register as a sex offender.
However, an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office indicated that a detective received a message from the Florida Sexual Offender and Predator Database on Monday. Morris was missing a re-registration form. He had last registered in Sumter County on January 20 and was told to register again by June. But as of Monday, he had not done so.
Morris was also on probation under Florida Department of Corrections supervision in an Interstate Compact agreement from Georgia as a sex offender. He did not report any issues that would prevent him from registering for May, one of two times per year he was required to re-register, the report said.
Due to this, a deputy responded to Morris’s address of 2177 CR 429, Lake Panasoffkee, to arrest him on charges of sex offender violation (fail to register as required) and probation violation. The New York native was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center without bond.