Clarence Brandon Walton, Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, Florida 2024

Pensacola, Florida - In a shocking turn of events, a Destin man has pleaded guilty to failure to register as a sex offender, a serious crime that puts communities at risk.

Clarence Brandon Walton, 54, of Destin, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to failure to register as a sex offender, a charge that carries severe penalties.

According to court documents, in July 2006, Walton pleaded guilty to an offense that requires him to register as a sexual offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). However, he stopped complying with the registration requirements in December 2023, leading to an arrest warrant being issued in Georgia.

On August 15, 2024, an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputy observed Walton dropping off a child at an elementary school. During the encounter, the deputy discovered that Walton 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.

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.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/destin-man-pleads-guilty-failure-register-sex-offender