Tip leads to predator arrest
Published 11:30 pm Tuesday, February 21, 2012
A “sexually violent predator” from Indiana was captured in Andalusia over the weekend.
Sgt. Cody Warren of the Andalusia Police Department said information submitted by a good citizen led to the arrest of 45-year-old Patrick Bryan McGlaughlin.
According to the Marion County, Ind., Sheriff’s Office website, McGlaughlin was twice convicted of child molestation. He was first convicted in 1995, for which he was sentenced to eight years, but was given a three-year suspended sentence and three years of probation, and again in 2000 and sentenced to six years in prison. It appears he served two years in prison before his release. His last date of registering as a sex offender in Indiana was December 2002.
Sex offenders are required by law to register not only their home address, but also their place of employment. Some convictions, like McGlaughlin’s, prohibit the offender from living with children.
Warren said McGlaughlin was found in Andalusia Friday evening, living in a home with a child.
“The information from the good citizen led us to the home where (McGlaughlin) was staying, and he was brought to the station for questioning,” Warren said. “Once there, he admitted to living in Andalusia for approximately three months, but had not registered as a sex offender.”
Warren said it was also discovered that McGlaughlin was wanted in Indiana for failure to register and maintain a proper address.
McGlaughlin now faces the same charge in Andalusia, as well as maintaining a prohibited residence with a minor. He was booked into the Covington County Jail and is currently being held on a $20,000 bond.
“This is a great example of why people should pay attention to who lives in your community and who your neighbors are,” Warren said. “Thanks to this ‘good citizen’ a wanted sexual predator is off our streets.”
Warren said anyone with questions about sex offenders in one’s neighborhood should visit http://dps.alabama.gov/Community/. Concerns or tips about non-compliance should be directed to one’s local law enforcement agency, he said.