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Polk County, FL - The Polk County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of 14 people as part of a Halloween initiative aimed at ensuring compliance for registered sex offenders and predators.
On Tuesday, officials with PCSO announced that 14 sex offenders and predators were arrested on charges of violating the state's registration laws for sex offenders.
According to authorities, there are 1,238 sex offenders and 147 sexual predators registered in Polk County.
Deputies performed nearly 1,000 compliance checks to make sure the offenders and predators are compliant with state registration laws.
State requirements mandate that compliance checks be completed at least once per year.
Of the 990 compliance checks conducted in Polk County last month, 951 people were found to be in compliance.
While 13 of the 14 people who weren't compliant were arrested, an arrest warrant was issued for 43-year-old Michael Akers, who deputies say failed to properly notify his change of address to authorities.
Sheriff Grady Judd spoke of the arrests with WKMG, telling the outlet "parents and community members are concerned about predators and offenders being around children, especially during events and holidays like Halloween. That is why every year, we conduct initiatives like this one to show sex offenders and predators that we take every one of the requirements seriously, and failure to comply will result in arrest."