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Of the 87 registered sex offenders living in Navajo County, the Sheriff’s Office along with the U.S. Marshall’s Office (USMO) were able to verify all but six in a three-day operation from June 17-19, according to Sheriff David Clouse in his update at the Navajo County Board of Supervisors meeting on July 9.
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“The 16 registered sex offenders living in the Winslow-Holbrook area were all verified and in compliance,” shared Clouse. “Of the 71 living in District Two, which is the southern part of the county, 59 were verified to be in compliance. We found three in Sanders no longer living where they were registered and we are working with the County Attorney’s Office to issue warrants. Two arrests were made and one was found to be deceased. There were six ‘no contacts’ that we are still working on.”
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The operation, which was put together through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Sheriff’s and U.S. Marshall’s Offices, was brought to Clouse in early June by Amy Gomez in jail administration.
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Along with extra man power from the USMO, the MOU also provided up to $3,600 to pay for overtime among the Sheriff’s staff during the operation.
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Clouse noted that maintaining the records of registered sex offenders is one of the biggest responsibilities that sheriffs have in the State of Arizona.
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“If the offender moves from one county to another county or state, they have 10 days to update their status,” continued Clouse. “While we have computers and databases that maintain these records, sometimes it is important to go knock on a door and verify the information face-to-face. But going throughout all of Navajo County requires a lot of manpower and assistance.
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“I would like to thank Amy Gomez as she found this program for us. I think it was a successful operation with all but six verified and we are working on those,” concluded Clouse.
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Supervisor Jesse Thompson thanked Clouse for the work that was accomplished, noting, “Any issue in the remote or rural areas you make your issue, is a good thing for the Sheriff’s Office and the citizens.”
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Chairwoman Dawnafe Whitesinger also remarked, “This is a difficult job in being able to ensure that we are keeping track of those that might potentially do harm.”
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