KINGSHILL — A 29-year-old man is facing new charges for failing to adhere to the requirements of the sex offender registry, according to Acting Virgin Islands Attorney General Carol Thomas-Jacobs.
Omari Akeem Horton, a registered sex offender on St. Croix, was arrested by the Virgin Islands Justice Department’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, or SORNA, Unit on Monday.
The unit arrested Horton based on a warrant signed by Magistrate Judge Ernest Morris, Jr., on December 16. Horton was arrested Monday at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility, where he is currently incarcerated on other pending charges.
Horton has been incarcerated since December on grand larceny charges, according to court records.
Horton was ordered to register as a sex offender after he was convicted of first-degree unlawful sexual contact on May 15, 2015.
“He is a Tier 3 offender and is mandated to register every 3 months for the remainder of his life. His first registration date at the DOJ was on October 15, 2015,” according to the news release. “He failed to appear in person at the DOJ Main Office on October 17, 2022, or the following Monday to register. The date fell on a Saturday, however, according to V.I. Law, if the registration date falls on a weekend, the offenders are given the option to register the Friday before the registration date or the following Monday. Horton was not incarcerated at the time of his failure to register. Additionally, Horton failed to update his place of residency within the 3 days mandated by law.”
Horton was convicted of Unlawful Sexual Contact in the First Degree on May 15, 2015. He is a
Tier 3 offender and is mandated to register every 3 months for the remainder of his life. His first
registration date at the DOJ was on October 15, 2015. He failed to appear in person at the DOJ
Main Office on October 17, 2022, or the following Monday to register.
The date fell on a Saturday, however, according to V.I. Law, if the registration date falls on a weekend, the offenders are given the option to register the Friday before the registration date or the following Monday. Horton was not incarcerated at the time of his failure to register. Additionally, Horton failed to update his place of residency within the three days mandated by law.
Horton was booked and turned over to the custody and care of BOC. His advice-of-rights hearing was scheduled for January 11.
A registered sexual offender must notify the VIDOJ of his/her name, residence, temporary
lodging information, vehicle information, internet identifiers, telephone numbers, school
information, and employment status.
A team of Special Agents from the VIDOJ and Sexual Offender Registry (SORNA) unit, with the assistance of U.S. Marshals and other local and federal agencies, routinely conducts unannounced inspections of registered sexual offenders to verify their locations and other personal information, such as their work and home addresses.
The Attorney General/VIDOJ is legally mandated to administer and enforce the sex offender
registration laws. Registered sexual offenders in the territory are prosecuted by the Attorney
General for either failing to register or not keeping their registration current and if convicted, the
penalty is a fine of not less than $3,000.00 nor more than $5,000.00, or imprisonment for not less
than three months nor more than two years, or both.
The law also provides that it is an offense to assist a sex offender to evade the registration requirements, which carries a fine of not less than $1,000.00 nor more than $2,000.00, imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
The sex offender registry is available for public view at https://usvi.nsopw.gov
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