Mugshot of Ivan J. Chinnery. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — The V.I. Department of Justice announced today the arrest of 63-year-old Ivan J. Chinnery, a registered sex offender on St. Thomas. Attorney General Ariel Smith reported that Chinnery was detained for not complying with sex offender registration laws in the territory.
Chinnery, who is currently homeless, was obligated to register weekly due to his lack of a fixed address but failed to appear in person at the Leander Jurgen Command Police Station on St. John. He was apprehended by VIDOJ Special Agents and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) unit on February 1st at the same station, without any incident.
During his Advice of Rights hearing on February 2nd, presided over by Magistrate Judge Paula D. Norkaitis, Chinnery was charged with failure to register as a sex offender under V.I.C. § 1722. He was subsequently released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Judge Norkaitis mandated that Chinnery cannot leave the islands of St. Thomas/St. John/Water Island without the court’s written permission. He is also ordered to report to the Office of Probation at the Leander Jurgen Command once per week and register as a sex offender every Wednesday at the Leander Jurgen Command Police Station.
Chinnery was previously convicted in the V.I. Superior Court in February 2012 for first-degree unlawful sexual contact. As a Tier 3 sex offender, he is required to appear weekly at the VIDOJ to keep his registration current until a permanent residence is declared, and every 90 days from his initial registration date for life.
The VIDOJ and SORNA unit, with support from U.S. Marshals and other local and federal agencies, routinely conduct unannounced checks on registered sexual offenders to verify their compliance with registration laws. The Attorney General/VIDOJ oversees and enforces these laws, requiring offenders to provide comprehensive personal information.
Failure to adhere to registration requirements can result in fines ranging from $3,000 to $5,000, imprisonment from three months to two years, or both. Assisting a sex offender in evading registration is also an offense, punishable by fines between $1,000.00 and $2,000.00, or imprisonment for up to six months, or both.
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