Police arrested a registered sex offender over the weekend after state officials reported the man visited a city park twice this month.
On Saturday, officers of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department arrested Jamie Andrew Ingram, 39, of 1972 King Springs Road, Johnson City, and charged him with violation of the sex offender registration and monitoring act.
On Friday, CCSD Deputy Chief Investigator Mike Little was contacted by Officer Michael Carver of the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole regarding Ingram visiting an Elizabethton park and violating the terms of the sex offender registration and monitoring law.
“On Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, Mr. Carver noted that Ingram was present at the Covered Bridge Park in Elizabethton on two separate occasions – at 1:30 p.m. and at 2:23 p.m.,” Little said. “This was confirmed through the GPS monitoring service Veritracks, which is the vendor responsible for the monitoring of the particular GPS device placed on Ingram.”
“The Covered Bridge Park, located in downtown Elizabethton, is a public park which is heavily frequented by the general public at large, especially children, who use the park to play, relax and swim,” Little added.
Individuals who are convicted of sexual offenses and are required to register as a sex offender with the state have a set of rules and restrictions they must adhere to. One of those restrictions prohibits registered sex offenders from visiting places where children are frequently found, such as schools, day cares and parks.
As part of his registration with the state as a sex offender, Little said Ingram was required to wear a global positioning system (GPS) locator device that tracks his movements.
In May 1997, Ingram was convicted of attempted aggravated sexual battery in Washington County. As a result of that conviction, Ingram was declared a violent sex offender by the state and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Ingram appeared in Carter County General Sessions Court on Monday where he was arraigned on the charge against him. Judge Keith Bowers appointed the Public Defender’s Office to represent Ingram and his bond at $5,000. Ingram is scheduled to return to General Sessions Court on Oct. 26.