Sallisaw man fails to register as sex offender

A local man is facing a felony charge of failure to register as sex offender after being convicted of lewd molestation and rape in Sequoyah County in July 2020.

Jason Henderson, 24, with addresses in both Sallisaw and Fort Smith, was charged Oct. 11 in Sequoyah County District Court and if found guilty of the charge, could face imprisonment of not more than five years and/or a fine not to exceed $5,000, or both imprisonment and fine.

He received a $35,000 bond and is now scheduled to appear for a Nov. 29 felony disposition docket, according to court records.

Sallisaw Police officer Dale Chew reported on Oct. 6 that he and Officer Evert Jasna spoke to a reporting party regarding a neighbor who reportedly had a felony warrant for their arrest.

Chew said while speaking with the reporting party, they mentioned that Henderson was staying at a family member’s residence in Sallisaw, and Chew knew that Henderson had a warrant for his arrest. Chew later learned that Henderson had been staying at the residence for about a month. According to the resident, Henderson came in to stay for one weekend and never left.

Around 20 minutes later, Chew said he and other of- ficers arrived at the residence but no one answered the door. They then made entry to the house, announced they were with the Sallisaw Police Department, and began clearing the home. Toward a back bedroom, they reported seeing a mattress and box springs standing up in a corner of the bedroom. Henderson was found hiding behind them and taken into custody.

Henderson then waived his rights and agreed to speak with Chew. He claimed he’d been staying at a hotel in Oklahoma City but could no longer afford to stay there, and had only been at the residence in Sallisaw for about a week, according to the probable cause affidavit. When Chew asked him if he knew he wasn’t allowed to stay there, he answered ‘yes.’ It was also noted the residence was also within 1,000 feet of a daycare center.