Florence Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Offender Registration Violation

A 23-year-old Florence man has admitted to breaking federal law by failing to register as a sex offender, a charge stemming from his 2013 conviction in North Carolina for Indecent Liberties with a Child. Tayquan Thomas pleaded guilty in federal court in Florence to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2250(a), according to U.S. Attorney Beth Drake.

The case traces back to September 2017, when the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office discovered Thomas had vanished from his registered address in North Carolina without notifying authorities. That move triggered a warrant for his arrest, launching a manhunt that crossed state lines. The matter was escalated to the United States Marshals Service, which tracked Thomas to a residence in Florence, South Carolina, where he had relocated without legally updating his status.

On October 25, 2017, a task force officer with the U.S. Marshals Operation Intercept Fugitive Task Force confronted Thomas at the Florence address. Instead of surrendering, Thomas fled—first in a vehicle, then on foot—before being caught after a tracking dog was deployed. The dramatic apprehension underscored the risks posed by unregistered sex offenders moving undetected across jurisdictions.

Court records confirm Thomas was required under federal law to report any change of address, especially interstate moves. His 2013 conviction mandated lifetime registration in all states where he lived, worked, or studied. By disappearing without notice, he violated the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), a federal statute designed to close enforcement gaps in tracking high-risk individuals.

U.S. District Judge Bryan Harwell accepted the guilty plea and will determine sentencing after reviewing a presentence report from the U.S. Probation Office. Thomas now faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000, prosecutors said. Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Bradley Parham is handling the prosecution.

The investigation was led by the United States Marshals Service, with crucial support from the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative targeting child exploitation. More information can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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