Sherae Honeycutt

MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, MO (KFVS) – Original Post

The new acting sheriff in Mississippi County is taking on their sex offender list in an effort to keep track of pedophiles and reduce the number of victims.

Acting Sheriff Branden Kaid said when he looked at his county’s sex offender registry – he was shocked.

“85% of them were not in compliance when we started looking into it,” Kaid said.

The county has around 14,000 residents and over 100 sex offenders.

“Once an offender has committed an offense they’re given a set of rules and I’m basically just trying to make sure they follow those rules,” Kaid said.

Kaid said many offenders were confused by changing laws and updates to requirements.

He wants to make sure everyone is on the same page.

“We’ve also made several arrests and we have about a dozen arrests pending for violations right now,” Kaid said.

“It’s not exaggerated – ever. It’s completely under-reported. It’s a huge problem,” said Marsha Keene-Hutchason, executive director at Susanna Wesley in Charleston.

Keene-Hutchason said holding offenders accountable is incredibly important and will help keep assaults down.

“We see the same names pop up over and over and over. Sex offenders don’t have one victim. They have many many many victims. Sometimes that they’re never held accountable for,” Keene-Hutchason said.

“We’re just trying to do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Kaid said.

Acting Sheriff Kaid said he wants victims to know that they should feel safe about coming forward.

“They’re not alone. There’s a lot of victims that are out there. Hopefully, we can make sure they get justice, and quite possibly help avoid someone else going through the same thing,” Kaid said.

Sheriff Kaid said he’s appointed a deputy specifically to track down offenders and make sure they are following the law.

Kaid said he is focused on all aspects of policing and keeping the public safe and hopes to get everyone in compliance soon.