Warrants issued on unregistered sex offenders in the area

Warrants were issued Wednesday by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle for nine area convicted sex offenders who have failed to register with authorities as required by law.

Due to the nature of their crimes, the men are required by law to register with local police every 90 days.

Swingle worked with Cape Girardeau Sheriff John Jordan to compile a list of most recent offenders and publicized the warrants as a message not only to the offenders, but to other convicted sex offenders who may be new to the area and have not registered with the Sheriff's Office.

Wanted are:

Robert Spear, 50, last known address in Cape Girardeau. Convicted of child molestation in the first degree.

Adam Taylor, 23, last known address in Cape Girardeau. Convicted of sexual misconduct in the first degree.

Jeremiah Twiggs, 23, last known address in Cape Girardeau. Convicted of child molestation in the second degree.

Mark A. Williams, 41, last known address in Cape Girardeau. Convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault.

Norman Copeland, 27, last known address in Jackson. Convicted of statutory rape in the second degree.

Michael Osborne, 36, last known address in Cape Girardeau. Convicted of rape against a person under the age of 18.

Roy Pegg, 62, last known address in Jackson. Convicted of sexual misconduct against a child in the first degree.

Michael Richards, 38, convicted of sexual assault, turned himself into authorities today, said Sheriff's Lt. David James.

The ninth man, Wince L. Fletcher, 25, convicted of statutory rape in Tennessee.

James said Fletcher was stopped for a traffic violation in a nearby jurisdiction, where it was discovered he lived in Cape Girardeau County. An investigation uncovered his criminal background. It is unknown where Fletcher is today.

Swingle said there is no excuse for offenders' failure to register.

"I'm not going to recommend probation on any of them," Swingle said. "My objective is to seek jail time on every offender."

Swingle said if other sex offenders have recently moved into the area or have missed a deadline for registering in the county, they have until Jan. 1 to comply with the law without penalty.

"We will not charge them for their tardiness," Swingle said. "This is a limited window of opportunity, though. Once Jan. 1, 2007, rolls around, this Christmas special is over."

James said the sheriff's department initiated the crackdown to curtail abuses by convicted sex offenders who do not register.

"We've warned and warned and warned," he said. "And now it's time to start charging people."

Anyone with information about the suspects should call the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department at 243-3551.

To see a listing of registered sex offenders in Cape Girardeau county, visit the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Web site at www.capecountysheriff.org.

carel@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127