Fort Thompson Man Jailed for Dodging Sex Offender Registration

Jordan Traversie, 26, of Fort Thompson, South Dakota, is headed back to federal custody after being sentenced for failing to register as a sex offender—breaking a legal requirement stemming from a prior conviction for Sexual Abuse of a Minor. On November 28, 2016, U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange handed down a 12-month-and-one-day prison term, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Traversie was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 19, 2016, after vanishing from the sex offender registry for nearly two weeks—from June 1 to June 14, 2016. His obligation to register dates back to a 2014 federal conviction for Sexual Abuse of a Minor, which landed him 18 months behind bars. Upon release, he initially complied, updating his address multiple times as required under federal law.

The breach occurred over Mother’s Day weekend in 2016, when Traversie traveled to Sioux Falls to visit family. His probation officer explicitly warned him: if he intended to stay, he had to register a local address. Traversie acknowledged the rule. He stayed anyway. He never registered.

That deliberate omission triggered a federal investigation led by the U.S. Marshals Service, which tracks fugitive sex offenders and ensures compliance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Traversie’s slip wasn’t a clerical error—it was a felony, and authorities moved fast to close the gap.

On September 14, 2016, Traversie pleaded guilty to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case, underscoring the government’s zero-tolerance stance on lapses in offender tracking—especially for those with histories of preying on children.

Following sentencing, Traversie was immediately taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service. His return to prison serves as a stark reminder: for registered sex offenders, the law doesn’t take weekends—or family visits—off.