Two sex offenders charged with failure to register

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON, Maine — The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department is cracking down on convicted sex offenders who fail to keep up to date with the Maine Sex Offender Registry on their current whereabouts.
After seeing an increase in complaints in the past year regarding sex offenders who reportedly failed to provide current data of where they reside, the Sheriff’s Department has charged two County men with failing to register and warned numerous others.    Deputy Chief Darrell Crandall stated in a press release last week that the diverse duties of an Aroostook County Deputy Sheriff includes the investigation of convicted sex offenders who fail to register with the Maine Sex Offender Registry as required by law.
“The Maine Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 1999 created the registry which is maintained by the state,” Crandall said. “It is updated daily based upon registrations received from offenders living in Maine. Depending on the nature of the conviction, offenders are required to re-register every three or six months. If they do not, law enforcement is notified by the registry. The purpose of the re-registration is to confirm that their information remains as accurate and up to date as possible. There are offenders who purposely try to evade the registration process while others simply procrastinate.”
In late 2013 and early 2014, the Sheriff’s Office received 17 complaints from the registry of non-compliant, convicted sex offenders believed to be living in Aroostook County. The complaints were assigned to the resident deputy sheriffs responsible for various areas of the county. Twelve offenders were located and issued warnings to come into compliance.
“Of those 12, nine promptly came into compliance, one applied for and was granted relief from his duty to register and two were issued summonses to appear in court,” Crandall said.
Charles Goggin, 66, of Eagle Lake and Freemont Carver, 37, of Sherman Mills, were charged with failing to register – a misdemeanor offense.
Of the remaining offenders, one moved to another state and registered there; one moved to Presque Isle and the police department was notified; one moved out of state and the US Marshal’s Service was notified; one was in jail; and one offender moved without leaving a forwarding address. Deputies are seeking an arrest warrant for this individual, Crandall said.
“This process begins all over again each time registration deadlines pass for offenders and they do not respond,” he added.