The number of convicted sex offenders living in Rhea County is on the rise, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Sexual Offender Registry website.

Eighteen months ago, the Sex Offender Registry listed 23 sex offenders living in Rhea County. Now that count is up to 40, but even that doesn’t present an accurate picture because information about sexual offenders convicted of nonviolent sex crimes prior to July 1, 1997, is considered confidential by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

In fact, Detective Rocky Potter, who is responsible for monitoring local sex offenders for the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department, said he is now responsible for keeping tabs on over 60 convicted sex offenders living in Rhea County.

Everyone in Tennessee convicted of a sex crime is required by state law to register with the local sheriff’s department or police department and are required to reregister when they move.

Information about sex offenders living in Rhea County can be found online at the Tennessee Internet Crime Information Center’s Sexual Offender Registry at www.ticic.state.tn.us /SEX_ofndr/search_short.asp.

Sex offender information is also available online at www.familywatchdog.us/. This website is interesting because it pinpoints the residence of each sex offender. It even shows the locations of sex offenders who live close to schools.

For instance, parents of Dayton City School students may not feel completely comfortable knowing that a man convicted of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor in 2000 lives 798 feet from DCS. In Spring City a man convicted of attempted aggravated sexual battery lives less than half a mile from Spring City Elementary School.

No sex offenders are listed as living within half a mile of Graysville Elementary, Frazier Elementary or Spring City Middle schools.

Remember, this doesn’t include individuals convicted of sex crimes prior to 1997.

Based on their addresses, 22 of the 40 Rhea County sex offenders listed on TBI’s Sex Offender Registry live in the Dayton area, 13 live in or near Spring City, two live in Evensville, two in Grandview and just one in Graysville.

Of the 40, there is only one woman. She was convicted in 2002 of attempted aggravated sexual battery.

Sixteen of the Rhea Countians on the list were convicted of statutory rape, while 11 were convicted of attempt to commit aggravated sexual battery, six of sexual battery, two of attempted sexual battery and one each of incest, child molesting, aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and one of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.

As part of their registration, sex offenders must complete a detailed form containing personal, family, residence and work information. Potter takes a photo of the sex offender and his vehicle and then fingerprints him.

“We still have sex offenders who think we aren’t serious about this, who have never bothered to register,” Potter said. “We are serious, and any sex offender who fails to register or who fails to report a change of address is going to jail.”

If the sheriff’s department discovers sex offenders who have not registered, Potter will investigate and turn the case over to the District Attorney’s office for prosecution. First-time offenders can receive up to 180 days in jail for failure to register.

John Carpenter can be reached at jcarpenter@xtn.net.