There were 13 registered sex offenders living in Echols County as of the week ending Aug. 9, according to the Georgia Sex Offenders Registry.
The Registry shows that none of these sex offenders are sexual predators. In Georgia, a sexual predator is an individual who is determined by the Sexual Offender Registration Review Board to be at risk of perpetrating any future dangerous sexual offense.
The Registry also shows that none of these sex offenders are currently incarcerated.
Sex offenders in Georgia remain on the Sexual Offender Registry for life unless removed by a court order or other legal means. Any individual who fails to register when required “shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than 30 years,” according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Under Georgia law, sex offenders must register with the sheriff in their county of residence, employment, and schooling. They must update their information within 10 days of any change and notify authorities when moving in or out of state.
The number of registered sex offenders in the U.S. has climbed to approximately 795,000 as of August 2024—an increase of nearly 43,000 individuals (about 6%) since 2019. As of that same month, Georgia’s registry includes around 24,730 individuals.
| Offender | Status | Crime |
|---|---|---|
| Andres Benjamin Gonzalez | Not Incarcerated | Statutory rape |
| Bennie Fender | Not Incarcerated | Cruelty to children |
| Christopher Blanton | Not Incarcerated | Statutory rape |
| Jeffery Brooker | Not Incarcerated | Corruption solicitation of a minor |
| John M. Kuljanich | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Matthew Franklin Carter | Not Incarcerated | Traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense |
| Michael Jrome Davis | Not Incarcerated | Lewd or lascivious act on a child under 16 |
| Michael Wayne Miller | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated sexual assault |
| Ronnie Earl Colbert | Not Incarcerated | Sexual battery upon a child under 16 years of age |
| Santos Gallegos | Not Incarcerated | Enticing a child for indecent purposes |
| Wallace Newton Gaskins III | Not Incarcerated | Obscene internet contact – obscene communication |
| Waver Henry Padgett | Not Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Willie Henry Richardson | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
