ALL SEX OFFENDERS ARE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR

In New Hanover County there were 15 sex offenders who failed to verify their address, three more that have failed to register. This means the Sheriff's Department does not know where they are and that they could be living near-by, in hiding.

John Couey, the reported confessed murderer of 9 year old Jessica Marie Lunsford, was also missing from where he was suppose to be. Instead of where he reported to authorities he was staying he was illegally 150 yards away from the bedroom of young Jessica. How close was the sex offender pictured above (Thomas Garner dob 6/12/62 of 506 Normandy Drive) to someone you care about? Mr. Garner had his address verified after his picture went up on our website. What about the many others that are still missing?

Ellis Steele Guy failed to register until after we mentioned his name on the radio. He has a history of failing to register his address, according to the State Sex Offender website. He was found to be living less than 300 yards from 6 children that I know personally - including my niece.

Missing sex offenders such as Patrick Steven Rieli, dob 5/28/81 who was convicted of INDECENT LIBERTY MINOR - SEX AROUSAL WITH A CHILD in November of 1999 and was given 2 years probation are a serious community concern. Rieli's address has not been verified since September 2003.

A quick study of the North Carolina Sexual Offender website found New Hanover County to have an overwhelmingly high number of sex offenders that have failed to verify their address compared to other counties. Examples of other counties with number of sex offenders who have failed to verify their address and the number of sex offenders that have registered: New Hanover County 15/159, Brunswick 2/110, Pender 1/63, Onslow zero/144, Durham 5/209, Columbus zero/51 and Mecklenburg 15/525. Click here to read law regarding verification.

UPDATE

Why is it that New Hanover County leads the State in sex offenders that have failed to verify their address? Why are 12 sex offenders missing in New Hanover County? Charlotte's Mecklenburg County has 11 missing, Pender has one, Brunswick two and Onslow County has zero missing. Information obtained from the State Sex Offender website.
Sex offenders frequently re-offend. The mother of one of Ellis Steele Guy's child victims is fearful that Guy will do just that, re-offend, in fact she guarantees it and I do too. Mr. Guy has repeatedly failed to verify his address. His punishment did not fit his crime, he is arrogantly in defiance of the laws by not following them to the letter and yet he was not charged the last time he failed to verify his address. Neither was Brian Dalton Rivenbark who was also living somewhere other than where he said he was living. Rivenbark was discovered, by WPD Officer Krumpler, by alert police work, to be living in New Hanover County rather than Pender County where he was listed as residing. Entering New Hanover County and failing to register is a crime that should have caused Rivenbark to be arrested by the Sheriff of New Hanover County. Instead he was given grace and a month or two later he was shot and killed while attempting to rob a video poker speakeasy. Joseph Edward Duncan III is charged with killing three people as he kidnapped an 8 year old girl and her brother. The brother's body was ultimately found in an out of the way place. The girl was found alive by alert citizens that recognized her from a missing poster one month after her disappearance. Duncan used to speak out on his website looking for forgiveness for the brutal rape and torture of a 14 year old boy. Duncan was convicted for that crime and served time for it. For years Duncan swore he would not re-offend and yet he did, perhaps many times killing at least one of his victims.
So why does New Hanover County have 12 missing sex offenders?
You will have to contact Sheriff Sid Causey, the man in charge of knowing exactly where these sex offenders are. Ask him if it is safe, ask him if any or all 12 of those missing sex offenders pose less a threat than the homeless man he made a big deal out of and ran off the other day, ask him if he can assure you that everything is being done to locate those offenders.
Sheriff Causey can be reached at 910-341-4200 or by email at SCausey@nhcgov.com