Mugshot of Leon Brisson Jr. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
The V.I. Dept. of Justice announced Thursday that 53-year-old Leon Brisson Jr., a registered sex offender, was arrested by V.I. D.O.J. special agents for failure to comply with registration requirements for sex offenders in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The arrest was made Thursday with the assistance of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) unit, and U.S. Marshals.
Brisson was arrested and apprehended at 6:10 a.m. at his residence in St. Thomas based on a warrant signed by Judge Alphonso D. Andrews on September 1. According to D.O.J., Brisson did not report his termination of employment to the SORNA unit and was unresponsive to efforts to reach him. An offender is required to report any changes to employment, residency, etc. within 3 business days as required by law, the Justice Department said. Additionally, Brisson was not in compliance with the commands from the officers, resulting in the U.S. Marshals having to gain forcible entry into his home in order to effectuate the arrest. He was taken into custody without incident, and no one was injured.
"Thank you to the U.S. Marshals for their assistance in the apprehension of offenders and I commend the VIDOJ SORNA Unit and Special Agents for their continued vigorous enforcement and apprehension of sex offenders who violate Virgin Islands Sex Offender Registration laws that are there for the safety and protection of our community," said V.I. Attorney General Denise George.
D.O.J. said Brisson was convicted in April 2012 on the crime of traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense in Polk, Fla. Pursuant to Chapter 86, Section 1722 of Title 14 of the V.I. Code, Brisson is required to register as a sex offender with the V.I. D.O.J. and keep his registration current.
A registered sexual offender must notify the VIDOJ of his/her name, residence, temporary lodging information, vehicle information, Internet identifiers, telephone numbers, school information, and employment status. A team of Special Agents from the VIDOJ and Sexual Offender Registry (SORNA) unit, with the assistance of U.S. Marshals and other local and federal agencies, routinely conduct unannounced inspections of registered sexual offenders to verify their locations and other personal information, such as their work and home addresses.
The V.I. Dept. of Justice is legally mandated to administer and enforce the sex offender registration laws. Registered sexual offenders in the territory are prosecuted by the attorney general for either failing to register or not keeping their registration current, as required by this law, and if convicted, the penalty is a fine of not less than $3,000.00 nor more than $5,000.00, or imprisonment for not less than three months nor more than two years, or both. The law also provides that it is an offense to assist a sex offender to evade the registration requirements, which carries a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $2,000, imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
