A Peoria, Illinois man pled guilty to failure to register as a sex offender in Mississippi.
According to court documents, 47-year-old Shontia Berry, was convicted in 2009 of a sex offense that required him to register as a sex offender for life in any jurisdiction in which he resides, works, or attends school. The Mississippi Sex Offender’s registry showed Berry registering in Mississippi in July of 2022. Berry then relocated to Alabama and registered there, but then moved back to Lamar County, Mississippi, and did not register or update his Mississippi Registration as required by law.
The United States Marshal Services located Berry in February, 2023, in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area. An investigation revealed that Berry had been working and residing in Mississippi since July 29, 2022.
Berry will be sentenced on April 9, 2024, and faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine Berry’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Todd W. Gee and United States Marshal Mark Shepherd made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda R. Haynes is prosecuting the case.
