OKEECHOBEE — On Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2022, a joint operation between the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshal Service, Florida Department of Correction Probation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Okeechobee City Police Department began an Operation called “Information Update.” This operation focused on sexual offenders and sexual predators living within Okeechobee County.

Operation “Information Update” Task Force members tracked down 137 sexual offenders/predators verifying the information the offender/predator provided on their registration, reregistration, or information update for each.

During this two-week operation, there were violations within some of the offender/predator’s registraton, reregistration, or information update.

The sex offenders and sexual predators in violation were arrested and booked into the Okeechobee County Jail on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, all without incident.

Arrested were;

• Alvin Thomas, 44, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report email address, and sexual offender failure to report employment.

• Bruce Wilcoxon, 50, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Curtis Demedicis, 44, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report email address, and sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours

• Ernie Higginbotham, 43, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report vacating residence.

James Simpkins, 71, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• James Yates, 65, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to register electronic mail address or internet identifier.

• Joshua Acevedo, 23, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours, and sexual offender failure to register electronic mail address or internet identifier.

• Phillip Whyte, 44, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours, and sexual offender failure to register electronic mail address or internet identifier.

• Sampson Pittman, 48, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Ralph Nava, 80, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Raymond Self, 63, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to register electronic mail address or internet identifier, and sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• William Rhoden, 57, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Christopher Singleton, 41, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Frank Buettner, 64, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Hobert Lee, 59, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Ronald Smith, 52, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Timothy Tucker, 44, was arrested and charged with was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to register electronic mail address or internet identifier.

• James Marshall, 45, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in telephone number, sexual offender failure to report changes in employment, and sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• Thomas Dean, 33, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.

• John Knights II, 43, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in telephone number, sexual offender failure to report changes in employment information within 48 hours, and sexual offender failure to register electronic mail address or internet identifier.

• Jerald Huff, 50, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to register electronic mail address or internet identifier, and sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours

• George Acevedo, 56, was arrested and charged with sexual offender failure to report changes in vehicles owned within 48 hours.