Paragould Sex Offender Arrested Again for Failure to Register

PARAGOULD, Ark. — A Greene County sex offender is facing a felony charge for failure to comply with registration and reporting requirements.

Richard Johnson, 47, of Paragould, is a level two sex offender and required by Arkansas law to follow sex offender reporting requirements, but a probable cause affidavit filed by the Paragould Police Department alleges that he did not.

The probable cause affidavit details the series of events that led to the charges:

Advertisement
Advertisement

• On May 18, 2022, Johnson registered through the Paragould Police Department and gave an address on S. 3rd Street at an apartment unit in Paragould.
• On September 1, 2022, Johnson informed PPD he would be in St. Louis for work – but he didn’t know the address. Authorities instructed to update them with the address as soon as it was known. If he would be there more than a few days, he was told to follow Missouri registration laws.
• Since September 1, 2022, several attempts were made to contact Johnson but all were unsuccessful. Missouri State Patrol told police Johnson had not registered with the sex offender registry in Missouri.
• On November 4, 2022, Johnson called Paragould police and informed them he was in St. Louis and had been very sick. Once again, Johnson was advised to register with Missouri and send paperwork showing he had registered.
• On November 10, 2022, police learned Johnson had still not registered in Missouri.

The probable cause affidavit states that the warrant for Johnson’s arrest was signed on November 18, 2022. Jail records show that Johnson was not arrested until August 12, 2024.

Johnson faces a Class C felony charge of failure to comply with registration and reporting requirements – refusal to cooperate with assessment process.

Johnson’s sex offender status comes from his conviction for the rape of a child and child molestation, the Arkansas Sex Offender Registry shows. Level two sex offenders are considered moderately likely to reoffend.

Johnson previously failed to follow sex offender registration requirements, pleading guilty on February 27, 2012, according to online court records. For that instance, he received 120 days in the county jail, 80 hours of community service, and five years probation.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Support Us