Shane Howard. (Photo/NYS Dept. of Criminal Justice Services)
LIVONIA – The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Livonia sex offender for allegedly breaking numerous rules of the Sex Offender Registry.
According to a press release from Sheriff Thomas Dougherty, Shane Howard, 26, was arrested for five counts of felony Failure to Register and Verify as a Sex Offender.
According to the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services, Howard was convicted in 2010 of felony Attempted Rape in the Second Degree for having sex with a 14-year-old when he was over age 18.
The investigation began New York State Parole Officer Bruce Yancey did a home visit with Howard as a parolee, and found a cell phone in which Howard was not supposed to have. Parole contacted the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and New York State Parole worked the case together.
New York State Corrections Law states that any sex offender shall register no later than ten calendar days after any change of address, internet accounts with internet access providers belonging to such offender, internet identifiers that such offender uses, or his or her status of enrollment, attendance, employment or residence at any institution of higher education.
It is alleged that Howard had a Facebook account, a Snap Chat account, an Instagram account, an unregistered E-mail address, and a Verizon smart phone with Internet capabilities, none of the which were registered with the New York State Registry or any local law enforcement.
On Monday Jan. 9, the Sheriff’s Office arrested Howard. Howard was already at the Livingston County Jail for an alleged parole violation at the time of arrest.
The arrest and investigation were handled by Sheriff’s Investigator Dan Rittenhouse of the Criminal Investigations Division with the assistance of New York State Parole Officer Yancey.
Geneseo Village Justice Thomas Bushnell arraigned Howard and remanded him to the Livingston County Jail without bail due to past felony convictions.