Tennessee Five, Sex Offender Registry Violations, Tennessee 2026

Memphis, TN - Federal Grand Jury Indicts Five Sex Offenders for Registry Violations

A federal grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee has indicted five sex offenders for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the returns of the federal indictments today.

Through SORNA, the federal government established a comprehensive national system for the registration of sex offenders, which requires sex offenders to register where they live, work, and/or attend school. It is a felony offense for sex offenders to fail to register or to fail to update their registration.

The federal grand jury indicted the following defendants for SORNA registry violations in the Western District of Tennessee:

• Porcha Lashay Adams, 30, who was convicted in Arkansas in 2024 of sexual assault in the first degree, was charged with failure to register from May 4, 2025 through February 9, 2026.
• William Eugene Logan, 57, who was convicted in Tennessee in 1987 of sexual battery and in 2013 of sexual battery by an authority figure, was charged with failure to register since at least January 2026.
• Ricky Lee Peals, 65, who was convicted in Arkansas in 1990 of rape, was charged with failure to register from October 18, 2021 through December 15, 2025.
• Justin Thompson, 28, who was convicted in Mississippi in 2018 of sexual battery, was charged with failure to register from December 18, 2025 through May 9, 2026.
• James Marshall Vandiver, 48, who was convicted in the Western District of Tennessee in 2008 of enticement of a minor, was charged with failure to register from August 27, 2024 through November 24, 2025.

This offense carries penalties of imprisonment for up to ten years, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release for five years to life. If a defendant is convicted of the offense, a federal judge will determine the sentence to impose after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Sex offender registration and notification programs are important to provide the general public and law enforcement with crucial location and conviction information to help communities stay safe and aware. This office will always aggressively prosecute violations of SORNA to hold non-compliant sex offenders accountable.”

U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller, of the Western District of Tennessee, said, “The U.S. Marshals Service will always fulfill its mission to protect the public from sex offenders through coordinated enforcement of sex offender registration laws.”

These cases were investigated by the United States Marshals Service (USMS). Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Delery and Special Assistant United States Attorney J. Cruz Rodriguez, of the United States Army Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps, are prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-five-sex-offenders-registry-violations