There were 47 registered sex offenders living in Wheeler County as of the week ending May 16, according to the Georgia Sex Offenders Registry.
Among them, one was considered a sexual predator by the Registry. 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 20 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. reached approximately 795,000 as of August 2024, an increase of nearly 43,000 individuals (about 6%) since 2019. In the same month, Georgia’s registry listed nearly 25,000 individuals.
| Offender | Status | Crime |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Thurman Towery Jr. | Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Calvin Lee Harvey | Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Christopher Bouie | Incarcerated | Enticing a child for indecent purposes |
| Dawson Paul Hart | Incarcerated | Statutory rape |
| Dennis Lee Wells | Incarcerated | Rape |
| Frederick Bernard Harris | Incarcerated | Statutory rape |
| Jeremy Wayne Hills | Incarcerated | Rape |
| Juan Donnell Dunton | Incarcerated | Rape |
| Justin Lamar Alexander | Incarcerated | Cruelty to children |
| Katie Marie Thigpen | Incarcerated | Sexual battery against a child under 16 years of age |
| Kenneth Joseph Kellam | Incarcerated | False imprisonment of a minor |
| Kenneth Ray Straughn | Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Kevin Alonzo Zanders | Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Kyle Ishmael Dixon | Incarcerated | Statutory rape |
| Marcus Elliott Simmons | Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Patrick Savon Lee | Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Terry Terrill Wade | Incarcerated | Statutory rape |
| Timothy Russell Nelson | Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Tony Steven Googe | Incarcerated | Rape 2nd degree |
| Zachery Lee Collins | Incarcerated | Enticing a child for indecent purposes |
| Angel Alfredo Cintron | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Brian Greenberg | Not Incarcerated | Sexual battery against a child under 16 years of age |
| Carl Ray Rogers | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated assault |
| Christopher Lee Gregory | Not Incarcerated | Enticing a child for indecent purposes |
| Edward Gillis | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Gary Hubert Rogers | Not Incarcerated | Rape |
| George Tavis Bess | Not Incarcerated | Statutory rape |
| Golden Stegall | Not Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Henry Dolen Pierce | Not Incarcerated | False imprisonment of a minor |
| James Johnathan Williams | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Jefferson Jonathan King | Not Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Jimmy Ray Rainey | Not Incarcerated | Sexual battery injury not likely |
| Johnny Lee Moore Jr. | Not Incarcerated | Criminal sexual conduct with a minor |
| Marshall Nolan Thompson | Not Incarcerated | Cruelty to children |
| Michael Cottrill Troupe | Not Incarcerated | Enticing a child for indecent purposes |
| Michael D. McDonald | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Mike Smith | Not Incarcerated | Child molestation |
| Rayburn Joey Smith | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Robert Aaron Ogle | Not Incarcerated | Sexual assault |
| Robert Alan Dee | Not Incarcerated | Sexual exploitation of children |
| Roger Willis Brabon | Not Incarcerated | Criminal sexual conduct 1st degree (victim under 13 years of age) |
| Shannon Reid Walker | Not Incarcerated | Sexual assault by teacher/assault principal/other administrator engaged in sexual contact with another individual enrolled at school |
| Terry Colon Dixon | Not Incarcerated | Sexual battery against a child under 16 years of age |
| Trey Douglas Wingate | Not Incarcerated | Indecency-child exposure |
| Vincent Bost | Not Incarcerated | Aggravated child molestation |
| Vincent Price | Not Incarcerated | Sexual battery (2nd or subsequent conviction) |
| William Rodney Evans | Not Incarcerated | Sodomy with a minor 1st degree |
