SCOTT COUNTY, Mo. — Twenty-three people were arrested Friday, Nov. 6, in Scott County after a multi-agency law enforcement operation targeting alleged violations of Missouri’s sex-offender registration requirements, according to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Derick Wheetley said the arrests were the culmination of Operation M.A.C.E. — Multi-Agency Compliance Enforcement — which began Oct. 19 when roughly 30 officers from local and federal agencies fanned out across the county in six teams for unannounced compliance checks, KBSI FOX23 reported. Officers verified registered addresses, vehicles and social media accounts against the records of registered sex offenders in the county.
From compliance checks to a warrant roundup
Investigators identified 23 people suspected of violating registration requirements and submitted probable cause statements to the Scott County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which led to arrest warrants for all 23, WPSD Local 6 reported. On Friday, deputies returned to the field with partners including the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and took all 23 into custody, according to KFVS12 and the sheriff’s office.
Wheetley told KFVS12 the most common alleged violations involved offenders failing to register social media accounts, vehicles or their current addresses.
Authorities said one arrestee, Michael Givens, was additionally found in possession of a controlled substance. That case will be submitted to the prosecuting attorney for consideration of a separate charge apart from the registration investigation.
Who was arrested
The sheriff’s office identified those arrested, along with court-ordered bond amounts, as:
David W. Lewis, $40,000;
Dustin Wayne Roberts, $40,000;
Damian Atkeson, $40,000;
Andrew James Booth, $45,000;
Davey Russell Mayfield, $40,000;
James Ray Tanner, $20,000;
Wayne Allen Martin, $30,000;
Robert Lee Collins, $40,000;
Stephen Joseph Glasser, $20,000;
Johnny R. McAnulty, $40,000;
Daniel J. Verderame III, $20,000;
Hosea M. Howard, $40,000;
Terry Hampton, $30,000;
Travis Ray Miller, $40,000;
Franklin Dean Blissett, $40,000;
Rocky Dean Good, $40,000;
Donald B. Francis, $40,000;
Clint A. Estes, $40,000;
Jimmie Franklin Griffin, $40,000;
Michael Givens, $40,000;
Dale Wilder, $75,000;
Patrick Gilbert, $100,000;
Keith Baines, $40,000.
All individuals accused of criminal offenses are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
A multi-agency effort
Operation M.A.C.E. involved the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, ICE, the New Madrid County Sheriff’s Office, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, the Miner Police Department and the Morley Police Department.
The crackdown had been building since late October. When the compliance checks were announced Oct. 20, one early arrest had been made and probable cause information on multiple additional cases had been forwarded to the prosecuting attorney’s office, according to earlier KBSI coverage. A sheriff’s detective at the time said the checks were timed in part to verify registration information ahead of Halloween, when families are out trick-or-treating.
The number of registered sex offenders checked was reported as 147 by KBSI and 149 by WPSD; the sheriff’s office has not publicly reconciled the figures.
The sheriff’s office said Operation M.A.C.E. remains an ongoing enforcement initiative and that additional unannounced compliance checks could take place throughout Scott County.