Investigation: Arkansas' Sex Offender Registry

They're in every city, on your street, perhaps living next door, they might even be someone you know.

Sex offenders: convicted of the kinds of crimes that cause us to lose sleep, preying on the vulnerable, they rely on silence and secrecy.

Arkansas' sex offender registry puts them in the spotlight.

"They are finding it more and more difficult to find dark spots to hide in,” said Paula Stitz.

Stitz is the manager of Arkansas' sex offender registry.

With a staff of just five people, she keeps eyes on about 10,400 sex offenders registered in the state with more added every day.

"You are talking about people who do not want you to keep track of them. It's a constant challenge,” Stitz said.

Under Arkansas' laws sex offenders are ranked on a scale of one to four: ones being low risk, fours considered sexually violent predators.

Depending on their level, they must report where they live and work to local law enforcement every three or every six months.

But they're often on the move and some want a way out.

"I think you are always going to have those that are looking to fall through the cracks or get out of the system, I think you are always, always going to have that,” Stitz said.

But just how many have slipped through the cracks? We ran the numbers.

There are about 8,000 sex offenders living in the state.

Of those about 5,000 or 62% are in compliance meaning they have come in and registered a current address with authorities.

Another 1,400 offenders or 17% are in prison, the majority of them either for parole violations or because they didn't register properly and landed back in jail.

But about 1,200 or 14% are considered delinquent. They haven't registered when they were supposed to, they could have, but we don't know yet, if they've jumped ship.

And then, the most worrisome number of all: about 350 who are considered address unknown. These people are not where they should be. In fact, we have no idea where they are at all.

"That's the one I wake up in the morning thinking about and go to bed thinking about. How do we find them?" Stitz said.

Warrants are issued for their arrest, and with the help of U.S. Marshals, they are often caught.

For local law enforcement though, it's relentless work, 24-7, with no funding from the federal government.

Pulaski County alone sifts through the files of hundreds of offenders.

So we did some detective work of our own, randomly searched for sex offenders who said they were in compliance and went looking for them.

In this Little Rock neighborhood, it wasn't hard to find level four offender Brian Gray. convicted on child pornography charges, he was where he said he would be.

"I understand the law and I understand the reason for the law and I just wish I didn't make the stupid decision that I made,” he said.

Near-by resident Becky Williams says she was notified by police of Gray's presence. She won't let her 2 year-old son play outside alone now. but at least she knows where Gray lives.

"I would rather know, I would rather know and be safe than sorry,” she said.

In another Pulaski County neighborhood though, the residents of this trailer park no longer have that same knowledge.

Though level three offender Kyle Heimer was supposed to be living here, we found out he had actually moved away three weeks ago.

"But he definitely doesn't live here? He definitely doesn't live here,” said Billy Eversole, the new resident at the home where Heimer should have been.

We're told Pulaski County deputies that Heimer had gone missing. They tell us they are now issuing a warrant for his arrest.

Overall, Arkansas' registry compares well to other states' registries; we do about as good a job as possible tracking these people with the few resources they have.

But the system is always evolving. In fact, this legislative session we may see some funding become available for newer better technology to help us keep track as the people who manage our system look to get better and better.