A Henderson man charged with violating the sex offender registration law appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division Monday.
Fifty-eight-year-old Rodney Wayne Brabon has pled not guilty to the charges against him. It is alleged that Brabon failed to disclose that he no longer worked where he said he did and was found to have multiple email and social media accounts under the fictitious name “Rodney Jones.”
Brabon was also accused of carrying a state identification card with an incorrect physical address listed.
One of his charges, failure to comply with registration and reporting requirements, is a felony and providing an incorrect address on the state I.D. card is a misdemeanor.
Brabon asked the court to consider a reduction in his $15,000 bond, but Circuit Judge John Putman said, given the allegations in the case, the bond would not be lowered.
ORIGINAL REGISTRATION IN MICHIGAN
Court records indicate Brabon was originally registered as a sex offender in Michigan after being convicted of two counts of 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct in Ottawa County on February 24, 2003.
He also faced failure to comply with registration requirements in Michigan on January 19, 2016.
Brabon moved to Baxter County in 2023 according to the Baxter County Sheriff’s office.
He is listed as a Level 2 offender, meaning he presents a moderate risk for reoffending.
ANOTHER CASE
Brabon was also arrested last year after it was discovered he had filed a false report claiming items were stolen from him that had actually been sold to another individual
On October 6, Brabon entered a guilty plea to obstruction of governmental operations, a misdemeanor and was sentenced to 30 days in the Baxter County Detention Center.
The state dropped theft of property charges and did not elect to charge Brabon as a habitual offender, which could have served to extend his sentence.
He was accused of turning in a theft report to the Baxter County Sheriff’s office in early December last year.
The report claimed that some of the items stolen from a property located along Loch Loman Drive belonged to Brabon and the rest to a victim who lived at the address.
Brabon was said to be living in a “makeshift bedroom” located inside the shop building from where the items were allegedly taken. He told investigators he had been away from the property when the “theft” occurred.
According to the probable cause affidavit, most of the items reported as stolen belonged to a person who lived in a camper on the property.
The value of the stolen items, which included a Suzuki motorcycle, plywood, a welder, refrigerator, pressure washer, power and hand tools.
The property owner distributed a list of the missing items throughout the area.
In the next two weeks, the investigators talked to multiple sources who said a man was selling many of the reportedly stolen items.
The information led to a search warrant being issued for the man’s property. A number of the items reported stolen were located in the man’s shop.
On December 30, a local attorney contacted the investigator and said he had evidence to show his client had purchased the items from Brabon.
The investigator reviewed a text message which “clearly showed” the man had purchased the reportedly stolen items with no knowledge of their status.
Brabon was called into the sheriff’s office for an interview. At first, he was reported to have denied any wrongdoing.
During the hour-long interview, Brabon was said to have told a number of different stories none of which were considered plausible.
Eventually, Brabon was reported to have confessed he had sold the items to the man and filed a false report claiming they had been stolen.
After evidence came to light that Brabon had sold the items to the man who had once been suspected of involvement in the theft, no charges were filed against him.
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