A local parolee was arrested after authorities discovered a violation of sex offender registration requirements during a routine home visit.
On February 18th at approximately 8:55 p.m., a Human Risk Unit (HRU) officer conducted a home visit in the 500 block of N. Jefferson. During the visit, Billy Johnson, 44, of Ottumwa, who is currently on supervised parole, was found to be in violation of sex offender registration requirements.
Court records indicate that Johnson is required to register as a sex offender due to previous convictions for indecent contact with a child and lascivious acts with a child. During the HRU visit, Johnson was found in possession of two cell phones. Only one of these phones was registered on the sex offender registry.
Law enforcement reported that the unregistered phone contained an active Snapchat account under the username “Bill Johnson,” with messages dating back approximately 67 weeks. Johnson admitted to not having a registered Snapchat account.
Court documents further note that Johnson has prior sex offender registry violations in Appanoose, Lee, and Washington counties, with convictions spanning from 2008 to 2022.
Johnson was arrested and is currently being held in the Wapello County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 27th.
He faces charges of second or subsequent offense sex offender registration violation and sex offender verification violation, both class D felonies.
Editors Note: All information was obtained from court documents related to the ongoing investigation.
