Destin Man Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

Pensacola, Florida - Clarence Brandon Walton, 54, of Destin, Florida pleaded guilty in federal court to failure to register as a sex offender. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "SORNA registration requirements are a vital tool to keep our communities safe and informed when a sex offender moves into a neighborhood. The safety of our communities is not negotiable, and my office will aggressively prosecute any sex offender who fails to register their movements as required by the law."

Court documents reflect that in July 2006 the defendant pleaded guilty to an offense that requires him to register as a sexual offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The defendant stopped complying with the registration requirements in December 2023, after which an arrest warrant was issued in Georgia for failure to register. On August 15, 2024, an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputy observed the defendant dropping off a child at an elementary school. The deputy discovered the defendant was a sex offender and found no records indicating that he had ever registered as a sex offender in the State of Florida, as required by SORNA.

The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Marshal's Service, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Tharp.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.