FORMER MIAMI COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FAILING TO REGISTER
AS SEXUAL OFFENDER
First federally indicted case in southern Ohio under “Adam Walsh Act”

DAYTON – Kenneth Larry Belcher, II, age 30 and a former resident of Miami County, pleaded guilty in United States District Court here today to one count of failure to register as a sexual offender. This is the first federal indictment in southern Ohio brought under the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act which is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act passed by Congress in 2006.

Gregory G. Lockhart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, James M. Wahlrab, United States Marshal, Southern District of Ohio, and Miami County Sheriff Charles A. Cox announced the plea entered today before United States District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

Belcher was convicted of sexual battery and corruption of a minor in October, 2000 in Miami County Common Pleas Court and sentenced to prison. Belcher was released from the custody of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections in April 2006, and was instructed by corrections personnel to report to the Sheriff’s office in his county of residence to register as a sex offender within five days of his release from prison. Belcher failed to register as required under Ohio law.

In November 2006, Sheriff Cox obtained an arrest warrant for Belcher. U.S. Marshals found and arrested Belcher on May 24, 2007, in Dublin, Indiana.

Belcher, who has been in custody since his arrest, faces up to ten years imprisonment. The law also provides for a minimum five years of supervised release after imprisonment and up to a lifetime on supervised release. Judge Rose will set a date for Belcher’s sentencing.

“When Congress passed the Adam Walsh Act, people expected to see a seamless effort by federal, state and local law enforcement to bring unregistered sex offenders to justice and peace of mind to the communities involved,” Lockhart said. “That’s what has happened in this case.”

The law directs federal resources to the tasks of rounding up sex offenders and helping state and local governments catch convicted individuals who failed to register in communities where they live, work, or go to school.

Lockhart commended the investigation by deputy U.S. Marshals and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Clemmens, who is prosecuting the case.