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You may be surprised at how often Va. sex offenders go unregistered

Posted at 7:26 PM, Jul 06, 2015
and last updated 2015-07-06 19:30:31-04

RICHMOND, Va. --  Law enforcement officers need your help to find Pernell Davis Pittman, a Richmond man who was released from jail on December 24, 2014 and never reported to his assigned Probation Officer.

According to the Department of Corrections, Pittman -- who also goes be Perkey -- has a history of assault and obstruction of justice. Pittman is also wanted for not registering as a sex offender.

CBS 6 took a closer look at Pittman's history and discovered he failed to register several times in his past, including in 2007, 2013, and 2014.

Is this a bigger problem in Virginia?

"It is  a very common charge in the State of Virginia," Claire Cardwell, a criminal defense attorney, said.

In fact, the US Marshalls service conducted a sweep of sex offenders in June who failed to register, resulting in 10 arrests in Virginia.

"This operation was wildly successful and sends a loud and clear message that sex offenders in violation of registration requirements will be hunted down, arrested and prosecuted for not being compliant with state and federal law," said U.S. Marshal Robert Mathieson.

Cardwell told CBS 6 that the state is powerless when a sex offender is released from prison, even if they suspect he may not register.

"Once the sentence is served the have to be released," Cardwell said.

However, Virginia law can penalize an offender greatly for not registering.

"They can receive up to five years in prison for the first time they're convicted and up to ten years in prison for the second time," Cardwell said.

While specific numbers for how many sex offenders are unregistered in Virginia were not immediately available, a quick search online shows countless offenders not updating their location.

Cardwell said if the state really wanted to crack down on the number of unregistered sex offenders they should change the system. Right now registration is mailed every 90 days and for some it is hard to keep track.

"There are some people who have a hard time maintaining a stable residence so they find themselves moving and then they don't get their mail," Cardwell said.