(U.S. Virgin Islands)- V.I. Attorney General Denise George has announced that 38-year-old Jose E. Encarnacion, a registered sex offender, was arrested by V.I. Dept. of Justice (VIDOJ) Special Agents (SID), and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) unit on St. Croix today.
Encarnacion was arrested for failure to comply with registration requirements for sex offenders in the Virgin Islands. Encarnacion is a Tier 3 registered offender who failed to update his registrations on May 5, 2021, August 5, 2021, November 8, 2021, and February 2, 2022, as required by law. Additionally, during a routine compliance check On March 1, 2022, it was revealed that he did not reside at the address he provided and had not updated his new address with the VIDOJ as required. VIDOJ Investigator George O’Reilly along with the agents apprehended Jose Encarnacion based on a warrant issued on March 28, 2022. for failure to register.
He was arrested at 11:20 am today in the vicinity of Richmond Post Office without incident. Encarnacion was convicted in V.I. Superior Court in May 2008, for the crime of 1st Degree Unlawful Sexual Contact. Pursuant to Chapter 86, Section 1722 of Title 14 of the V.I. Code Encarnacion is required to register as a sex offender with the Virgin Islands Dept. of Justice (VIDOJ) and keep his registration current. He is registered as a Tier 3 sex offender and therefore required to appear once every 90 days from his initial registration date throughout his lifetime. 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 conducts unannounced inspections of registered sexual offenders to verify their locations and other personal information, such as their work and home addresses. The Attorney General/VIDOJ 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 $1,000.00 nor more than $2,000.00, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. The sex offender registry is available for public view at https://usvi.nsopw.gov.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2022
Sandra Goomansingh
Media Relations Director
(340)774-5666 ext. 10105
Email: Sandra.goomansingh@doj.vi.gov