Right now, there are just over 450 registered sex offenders living in Fayette County, all of whom must meet a series of reporting and other requirements to stay in good standing.
A recent two-day joint operation between a number of law enforcement agencies examined 78 of the offenders. 21 were found to be noncompliant and 13 arrests were made.
"All 13, we have verified this morning, are still in custody. It is my hope that as we move forward, these 13 will have their parole and/or their probation rescinded or revoked, and it is my hope that they will have to... serve out the rest of their sentence while incarcerated."Fayette County Sheriff Kathy Witt
Sex offenders in Fayette County are prohibited from living within a thousand feet of a school, licensed daycare, or government-owned playground. They must notify law enforcement when moving in or out of the district — and Witt says the numbers have been trending slightly up.
Different agencies keep track of varying sex offender reporting requirements, which span different lengths of time. Marshal Norman Arflack with the Eastern District of Kentucky said he hopes joint efforts that perform more comprehensive looks at compliance should send a signal.
"This operation should send and will send a message to those who are noncompliant, that this noncompliance will not be tolerated in Fayette County or anywhere else in the Eastern District of Kentucky," Arflack added.
Sheriff Witt said, with some departments seeing staffing vacancies, it’s important for agencies to pool their efforts to keep the community safe.
