Published: September 09, 2009 04:42 pm      

Sex offender arrested for failing to register

Spliethof moved here in ’07

WHITLEY CITY — A Strunk man has been targeted for federal prosecution following his August 27 arrest for failure to register as a sex offender.

Andrew Lee Spliethof, 50, of Highway 1470 Strunk was arrested by McCreary County Deputy Sheriff David Sampson on August 27 at approximately 7:04 p.m. on Strunk Silerville Road on a McCreary District Court warrant for Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registration.

According to Dep. Sampson, the sheriff’s office had received an anonymous tip regard-ing Spliethof, who was living with his wife and two minor children after moving to McCreary County from California in November of 2007.

Dep. Sampson accompanied social workers with Department for Community Based Services to the Spliethof home as part of their own investigation, which resulted in removal of the children from the home.

“During that visit, he admitted to being a registered sex offender,” Dep. Sampson said. “He said he knew he should have registered locally but he was trying to start a new life.”

Based on that information, Dep. Sampson was able to obtain an arrest warrant which he served the following day. Spliethof was lodged in the McCreary County Jail under a $7,500 cash bond.

Enter the United States Marshals Service.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Mike Walters was assigned the case after a citizen notified the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Spliethof’s arrest. In addition to violating state law by failing to register as a sex offender in Kentucky, Spliethof violated a relatively new federal law as well.

In July 2006, Congress passed the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (a provision under the commonly-called Adam Walsh Act) requiring a registered sex offender to re-register should he or she move from the state of conviction.

In this case, Spliethof was convicted of a Lewd and Lascivious Act with a Minor under the age of 14 on November 28, 1995, in the Superior Court of Shasta County, CA. The conviction required Spliethof to be listed on California’s sex offender registry, though The Record could not find his name on the state’s website. Nor was he listed on Kentucky’s website.

Although Spliethof is still lodged in McCreary County Jail under the state charge, a federal detainer has been placed on his bond.

“In a nut shell, if he made bond or the local charge is dismissed, he would be picked up by federal officers,” Walters said.

While a federal warrant has been issued, Spleithof’s case has yet to be filed with the U.S. District Court in London. In the meantime, he is scheduled to be arraigned this Thursday in McCreary County District Court.