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Sex Offender Busted After Failing To Show Up For Jail
September 7, 2010
A convicted sex offender that was living in the Davisville area has been taken into custody after he skipped out on jail time for failing to report his current address to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Michael J. Lassiter, 58, pleaded guilty July 9 to one charge of failure to report a change in his residence as required by Florida’s sexual offender laws. He was to turn himself in on July 19 to begin serving a 364 day sentence, but he was a no-show in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Lassiter is now is behind bars at the Escambia County Jail after being taken into custody September 3.
He was convicted of molesting a juvenile in November, 1998, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He was released from a Louisiana prison and reported his address to be 4699 Highway 168, Walnut Hill and had also reported 5701 Highway 168, Century.
When the FDLE was unable to make contact by mail with Lassiter at either address in January and April of 2009, they sent Escambia County deputies to look for him. Deputies discovered the 5701 Highway 168 address does not exist; there are no address numbers that high on Highway 168.
Authorities then met with the property owner at the address at 4699 Highway 168. The property owner said Lassiter had been given permission to stay in a shed at the address. They found an empty refrigerator and bed rails in the shed, but no obvious indications that anyone was still living there.
In September, 2009, the FDLE met with a female that said she had allowed Lassiter to stay at her address at 9981 Highway 97 in Davisville. Lassiter, according to the FDLE, never registered the address as required by law.
A few days later, Lassiter was spotted at the 4699 Highway 168 address.
FDLE obtained a warrant for Lassiter’s arrest and he was first arrested in February for failure to update his address. He was released on bond to await trail in July.
Comments
9 Responses to “Sex Offender Busted After Failing To Show Up For Jail”
REGARDING:
“The lists do nothing but prompt a culture of unnecessary, unrealistic fear and loathing.”
Sometimes they indicate a man in his forties took advantage of a small minor with a total disregard for her safety or her life, for law and for societal norms. And sometimes they are just one of many crimes including sexual battery on an elderly lady, burglary, theft and who knows what all else because they took place in multiple states–and no telling how many crimes were never charged or which prosecuting attorneys never bothered to prosecute.
It’s a lovely defense: he may be too retarded to know what he’s doing, maybe he was too young in his forties to realize it was wrong. That suggests to simple-minded people like me that he would be more dangerous, not less.
David thinking it’s reasonable to fear some characters
Has anyone considered what is required for registering? For a homeless,ignorant,perhaps mentally ill,poor person, it is practically impossible not to violate the registration requirements and the limitations on where one can live. People may not know that all kinds of sex-related offenses get a person on the lifetime registration list. People who years ago pled to relatively minor offenses, even for a “time served” sentence which would get them out of jail without further punishment, later learned the law had changed and they are now required to register every move for life. No chance to argue actual innocence now, no chance to consider the implications–registration for life, can’t live in many locales, can’t go near a school, playgrounds,etc. Some offenders now on these lists never actually committed any crime, some did nothing to a child and pose no actual danger at all.
The lists do nothing but prompt a culture of unnecessary, unrealistic fear and loathing.
Junk I thought I moved into a nice place ? And there are wonderful people around. Just seems to be getting worse everday. Thanks Florida for the right to protect my family and property !
I do not personaly know this guy or his crimes, i do know that 2 months ago i picked him an a elderly woman up from the side of the road after they ran out of gas. It had to be 105 that day. I brought them to the gas station and he seemed like a ok guy, he made small talk , so did i . I took them back to there car, right by lake stone, they said thank you . I figured it was my good deed of the day. I consider myself a good god fearing man , but if i would have read this articale before that day i dont think i would have picked them up. Or maybe i would have after all WWJD. peace!
and he has had a number of charges since that one
REGARDING:
“Its nuts to give the guy 1 year for not updating his address, what does the address even matter for something that happened in 1998″
It was a condition of his release. As to why that condition is required, folks in the know are convinced a sexual predator will remain one as long as he lives. There have been too many instances where children have been raped and murdered by known, convicted sexual predators to just say, “Well, he served his jail time now he can go about his business and his hobbies as he sees fit,” when his hobbies are stalking children for his playthings.
Please consider that he lied about his address and has lied about his name in previous occasions. (Aliases: MIKE LASSITER, RICHARD ENGLISH, MICHAEL LASSITER, MICHALE NMN LASSITER.) I doubt he told the people who put him up that he might go after their children or those of their neighbors–or yours. Let him live with you but only after he registers so his neighbors will know snakes are safer.
David for better explanations
and protecting the helpless
Its nuts to give the guy 1 year for not updating his address, what does the address even matter for something that happened in 1998 , give the guy a break. He was staying in a shed, if you were in a shed and offered a place to stay, wouldnt you?
ewwwwwwww. thats grossss.
Amen! Good Job FDLE for getting him off our streets…