Sheriff’s Office Conducts Sex Offender Verification Check

TYLER — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has completed a check of sex offenders who reside in the county. Of the 320 individuals who were investigated June 12 and 13, 25 were found to be out of compliance, according to a news release. Officials with the Sheriff’s Office said that verification checks of this type are unannounced and comprehensive. The check included a team of approximately 40 officers, including members of 12 different local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, coordinated with the U.S. Marshals Service Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force.

“Verification checks send a message to all sex offenders that they will be arrested if they are out of compliance of their sex offender registration requirements,” said Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith. “An offender has strict requirements. If they violate any of their sex offender registration requirements, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. It took two days to conduct this verification check, but it took a lot of task force members hundreds of hours of planning and coordination to make it happen. Having the right people and the right number of people assigned to this effort was key and I am grateful to each one of them for their hard work.” To report information on a sex offender, call 903-590-2680.