HERNANDO — The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office said 38 registered sex offenders were arrested during a recent operation targeting violations of Mississippi’s sex offender registry laws.
Sheriff Thomas Tuggle and Sgt. Bryan Andrews said the sheriff’s office joined the U.S. Marshals Service and other state and federal partners in Operation Adam’s Watch, conducting more than 400 sex offender compliance checks over the course of a month.
According to Andrews, investigators worked with local, state and federal partners from July 13 through July 17 to locate offenders who were not complying with registry requirements and take enforcement action.
Violations can include failing to report a residential address, employment, vehicles, social media accounts or other information required by law, as well as providing false information during registration, Andrews said.
Tuggle said the effort is part of a broader nationwide operation, but emphasized that the sheriff’s office remains focused on ensuring registered offenders in DeSoto County comply with laws designed to protect the community.
“Protecting DeSoto County citizens is our highest priority,” Tuggle said. “We ensure that registered sex offenders comply with the laws designed to safeguard our communities.”
The sheriff’s office did not immediately release the names of those arrested in the operation.
