Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Between May 19th and May 30th, 2025, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office conducted a sex offender registration compliance sweep throughout the County of Humboldt. Representatives from the Arcata Police Department, Rio Dell Police Department, Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office and State Parole assisted during the operation.

During compliance sweeps, law enforcement attempts to contact registered sex offenders in Humboldt County to ensure each offender is following their registration requirements. Pursuant to California Penal Code 290, sex offender registrants are required to register in person with the law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction where they reside. The registrants must also comply with several registration requirements, such as updating their registration annually and informing law enforcement when any changes have been made to their address or registration information. Failure by a sex registrant to keep law enforcement notified of an address change or registration information is a crime and can be punished as a felony or misdemeanor.

As of June 6th, 2025, there are 375 registered sex offenders in Humboldt County. Of the 375 registered sex offenders in Humboldt County, 46 of those offenders are registered as transient. During the compliance sweep, 317 registrants were determined to be in compliance, 23 registrants were suspected of being out of compliance, 28 were unable to be contacted, 2 offenders were currently incarcerated and 4 were discovered to be deceased. Additionally, 7 arrests were made during the operation. Investigators are completing follow up investigations into those found to be out of compliance and anticipate additional arrest warrants to be submitted to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. Please keep in mind, those that were unable to be contacted do not necessarily mean they are out of compliance. Often, the compliance sweep takes place on weekdays during work hours, and it is expected that some registrants may not be home during those times.

The annual sweep is a collaborative effort to reduce violent sexual offenses in the county through proactive monitoring of sexual offenders, and strict enforcement of state registration requirements. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is a participant in the Region II Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team, and these enforcement efforts are funded through the SAFE grant.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would also encourage members of the public to research Megan’s Law, which is a set of state and federal laws that require sex offenders to register with law enforcement and make information about their registration and whereabouts public. The primary purpose is to protect communities, particularly children, from potential harm by sexual offenders. This is achieved by providing the public with access to information about registered sex offenders and allowing law enforcement to notify communities about their presence. Megan’s Law website can be accessed at this link. Anyone with questions or possible concerns about a sex registrant should contact their local law enforcement agency.

For more information regarding the sex offender registration compliance sweep, contact Investigator Jenn Taylor at (707) 268-3642.

Additional Information on Megan’s Law and ways to protect yourself and your family at this link.