A Midway man pled guilty during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division April 13 to a charge of failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
Seventy-year-old William Claude Shelton entered a guilty plea to one count of failure to comply with registration and reporting requirements, a Class C felony.
Shelton was sentenced to six years probation.
According to the probable cause affidavit from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Shelton, a Level 4 registered sex offender the highest classification indicating a high risk to reoffend failed to disclose required online identifiers during routine registration checks.
The issue came to light during a compliance check when investigators discovered Shelton had online accounts that had not been reported as required.
Shelton was originally convicted of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse in April of 1989 stemming from his involvement with two minor males.
Sex offenders are required to provide all internet identifiers, including email addresses and social media accounts, as part of their registration.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant and confirmed Shelton had maintained an undisclosed email account since 2020. Deputies also located a Facebook account believed to belong to Shelton that had not been reported.
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