Hutchinson — Several Reno County convicted sex offenders, including seven convicted rapists, have failed to register their home addresses with the state.
Despite the state's apparent oversight, all 25 offenders are headed for prosecution for their failure to register.
A Kansas Department of Corrections parolee list for Reno County includes 33 sex offenders, but only eight matches among sex offenders registered with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
The remaining 25 people were required by law to register, said Tom Stanton, Reno County deputy district attorney. And because they haven't, they're subject to prosecution.
"That number's kind of surprising," he said.
Exactly how the offenders fell through the cracks isn't clear. Stanton said the Kansas attorney general's office is required by statute to notify prosecutors.
Other prosecutors, however, said that either the Kansas Bureau of Investigation or the Department of Corrections is required to supply the notification.
Kansas' registration requirements are broad, Stanton said, and are based on "any action that is determined to be sexually motivated."
Stanton said several possible reasons exist for the high local figure, including offenders prior to the 1994 registry law. But a check of Department of Corrections parole records shows no offense dates before the law's passage. And those same records identify seven convicted rapists not on the FBI registry.
Applicable offenses run the gamut from kidnapping to any kind of sex offense, including adultery, criminal sodomy, and lewd and lascivious behavior.
Unregistered offenders are not unique to Reno County. Barton County has three unregistered sex offenders from state parole lists.
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