Jonesboro police target sex offenders in operation

JONESBORO, Ark. – A registered sex offender is back behind bars after he was found to be non-compliant with his terms of release.

Harold John Shingler, 29, of 707 West Monroe Street in Jonesboro, was arrested Thursday after Jonesboro police and probation officers conducted a sex offender verification on him. Shingler is also presently on probation, according to the JPD report. 

While speaking with Shingler at his residence at about 10 a.m. on Thursday, police asked for his driver’s license and found him to have not updated the address to his current residence.

As this was happening, the probation officer was searching through the man’s found and came across material “that was inappropriate,” the report stated. The Samsung phone was taken into police possession to be processed into evidence.

Shingler was placed under arrest and taken to Craighead County Detention Center for a felony probation violation and misdemeanor charge for not updating his address.

JPD participated in several sex offender address verifications Thursday, during part of a larger operation.

At 9:40 a.m., police made contact with Jason Ryan Thomas, 44, of 913 Nesbitt Street in Jonesboro. He was found to have not updated his license in ten months of living on Nesbitt. He was cited and given a court date of March 8 at 1 p.m., according to the report.

At 11:15 a.m., police visited 2517 Duncan Road, apartment 17, and cited Ashton Lewis Butler, 24, for not updating his address. Butler’s previous address was in Trumann. He was not arrested but was given a court date of March 8 at 1 p.m.

Next at 12:30 p.m., Ronnie Lee Jordan Denney, 21, of Jonesboro, was arrested at his job at Waffle House on Phillips Drive. Denney was found to have the incorrect address on his ID. He was arrested and taken to CCDC for two counts of contempt of court for non-payment of fines and for an incorrect address on his ID.

Then shortly after 3 p.m., police made their way to Scottish Inn, 3116 Mead, to room #116 where Gerald Marte Thomas, 34, was residing. Thomas was found to have a Florida ID and had not updated his in the past year. He, too, was cited and given a court date of Feb. 8.