Failure to Register as a Sex Offender is charged in Greeley and Weld County when a person who has been convicted of a sex offense, neglects to do their required registration. This doesn’t just means showing up on the right date. Adequately completing the registration process also includes properly filling out the forms. Unfortunately, there is no grace when it comes to the rules surrounding registration. Simply forgetting and coming in a few days late will usually still get someone charged with this crime. We usually think of Failing to Register as a conscious disregard for the required process, but often times it is just a slip of the mind. Things get busy and someone forgets, panics a few days later when they remember, but by then it’s too late and the warrant has already been filed.
How is Failure to Register Charged in Milliken and Johnstown?
Under C.R.S. 18-3-412.5, Failure to Register as a Sex Offender is charged for many different reasons. Some of those reasons include:
- Not reporting to the appropriate law enforcement agency on your registration date (Yearly on your birthday, or every 3 months if quarterly registration is required);
- Submitting your registration paperwork with false information;
- Submitting an incomplete registration form;
- Failing to update an address change or legal name change;
- Refusing to sit for a current photo or provide a current set of fingerprints.
It’s not just about showing up on the correct date. It also includes truthfully and completely filling out the forms involved. I recently heard a story from a Sheriff Deputy about a person who had come in to register, but were very annoyed they had to fill out the same paperwork every time as nothing had changed. All the previous information provided still applied. So, the person wrote ‘on file’ on every line of the registration form. This was NOT acceptable to the law enforcement officer. The person was told that if they didn’t fill out the paperwork correctly, a warrant would be issued immediately.
When is Failure to Register charged as a Felony in Weld County?
Failure to Register is charged as a misdemeanor or felony depending on the underlying crime for which the person is required to register. If the person is registering for a felony offense, then they would be charged with the class 6 felony Failure to Register. However, if it is a second or subsequent Failure to Register charge, then it is aggravated to a class 5 felony.
If you or someone you love has been charged with Failure to Register, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009 to schedule a free initial consultation. Together, we can protect your future.
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