Sex offender arrested for failure to register
A registered sex offender from Oregon was arrested Thursday for allegedly failing to register in the state of Arkansas for six months following a traffic stop for having fictitious tags.
Jeffery Paul Hawks, 35, who lists a Quapaw Avenue address, was taken into custody and charged with failure to report and register, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Hawks was initially held on $3,500 bond and appeared via video Friday morning in Garland County District Court where he pleaded not guilty to the charge. A felony review hearing to determine if the charge will be bound over to Garland County Circuit Court is set for Aug.
13. His bond was lowered to $1,500 but he remained in custody Friday afternoon.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at around 1:30 p.m. Thursday Hot Springs police officers performed a traffic stop on a vehicle with fictitious tags in the 100 block of West St. Louis Street. After making contact with the driver, identified as Hawks, a computer check revealed he was a registered sex offender out of the state of Oregon.
During an interview with Hot Springs police detectives, he reportedly said he had not registered for “about six months” and had been living at the Quapaw Avenue address for about two months.
When asked why he did not register in Arkansas, Hawks allegedly told officers “he did not feel that he should have to register” and that he was afraid he might have active warrants out of the state of California.
In addition to the felony charge, Hawks was cited for having no driver’s license or an expired license and for having no liability insurance.