Sheriff’s office verifies sex offender info

VW Sheriff’s Office information

Van Wert County Sheriff Thomas M. Riggenbach’s department recently conducted a random verification of sex offenders’ addresses, employment, school affiliation, telephone numbers, vehicles and Internet identities, as required by Ohio law.

State statute requires all sex offenders to register in person at the sheriff’s office periodically to provide the above information to law enforcement officers.

Sheriff Riggenbach also noted that Ohio law requires sex offenders to immediately report any change in the above information.

According to the sheriff, deputies conducted the most recent verification checks between June 23 and June 26 for all 48 sex offenders registered in Van Wert County. To complete the random address verification, deputies went to the listed address for each adult sexual offender, with Sheriff Riggenbach adding that all registered sex offenders were in compliance with registration requirements.

The sheriff said that last week’s random verification – the fourth conducted by his department – is authorized by Ohio law, but not required.

One sex offender was prosecuted on a charge of failure to register as a result of a previous random verification for not meeting state registration requirements to timely register any changes in the above information.

Sheriff Riggenbach also said his office will continue to take the extra step of random verification to ensure that sex offenders comply with state sex offender registration laws, while continuing to investigate and prosecute all registered sex offenders who fail to meet their registration requirements.

Photos of sex offenders who reside in Van Wert County can be found on the sheriff’s office website at www.vanwertcountysheriff.com. County residents can click the “sex offenders” link on the left side of the webpage to learn more about Ohio’s sex offender registration requirements and then search for sex offenders living in the county.

County residents can also register with the sheriff’s office to receive automatic emails any time a registered sex offender provides an address between a quarter-mile and two miles from any address designated.

Currently, 7.4 percent of county residents are signed up to receive automatic emails from the sheriff’s office.

For more information, call the sheriff’s office at 419.238.3866. Anyone with information about suspected registration violations can call the above number of access the sheriff’s office website above and click on the “submit a crime tip” link. Residents can remain anonymous when submitting crime tips.