Offender nabbed for not registering

— A Van Buren man was being held without bond in the Van Buren jail after he was arrested Monday for failure to register as a level 3 sex offender when he moved into a neighborhood that is off limits to sex offenders, according to Van Buren police.

Brian Cecil Lester, 27, was arrested after he moved to the 1200 block of Chestnut Street, which police spokesman Jonathan Wear said was within 2,000 feet of two city parks, a school and a mentalhealth facility for juveniles.

Arkansas Act 330 of 2003 put those prohibitions in place for level 3 and 4 sex offenders, Wear said.

Lester had been living in the home on Chestnut for about a month without registering with the police department, according to a news release from the department.

The release stated Lester contacted the police department last month to report he was being evicted from his home and wanted to move to the address on Chestnut. He was told he couldn’t live there because of the proximity restrictions. He moved there anyway and was arrested on Monday.

Lester was convicted last December of Internet stalking of a child when he met an undercover officer who was posing as a 15-year-old female in an online chat room.

A level 3 sex offender is considered to have a high risk of re-offending, the release stated.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 12/05/2012

Upcoming Events