The charges against Shawn Lloyd Hinckley, 27, arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshal Service. Hinckley who is allegedly a convicted sex offender from the State of Washington, was indicted by a federal grand jury in March for failing to register as a sex offender after relocating to Oklahoma, Sperling said.
He was arrested by U.S. Marshals on March 15 in Sequoyah County. He was convicted in Whatcom County, Wash., where he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault with sexual motivation and was required to register as a sex offender. He moved to Oklahoma in 2005 and failed to register as a sex offender, according to the U.S. Marshal Service.
Failing to register as a sex offender is now a federal crime under the act. This new law was passed by congress on July 27, 2006. This case is the first of its kind in the district.
This new legislation directs the U.S. Marshal Service to work with state and local authorities in locating, apprehending, and prosecuting certain uncompliant offenders. John Loyd, U.S. Marshal for the eastern district of Oklahoma, has dedicated a criminal investigator deputy U.S. marshal to focus directly on Adam Walsh Act offenders in eastern Oklahoma.
The deputy U.S. Marshal works within the U.S. Marshal Violent Offenders Task Force, where offenders, mainly those with violent criminal histories, including sex offenders, are identified and then tracked down and arrested. The task force is comprised of local police officers, agents and highway patrol troopers working under the direction of the U.S. Marshal Service.
Investigations carried out by the Marshal Service annually result in the apprehension of about 34,000 federal fugitives. More federal fugitives are arrested by the marshals than all other federal agencies combined, according to the service.
For more information, visit www.usmarshals.gov.
"Hinckley is the first person charged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma with this crime," Sperling noted.
Hinckley could face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
A pre-sentencing report was ordered, and sentencing will be scheduled after its completion.
