Four registered sex offenders in Lyon County, including two Fernley residents, were arrested within an eight-day period for allegedly failing to comply with Nevada registration or verification requirements, according to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrests were announced in two separate releases issued by the Sheriff’s Office Sept. 24 and Sept. 28.
Michael Corral, 55, of Fernley, a Tier II registered sex offender, was arrested Sept. 24 after allegedly failing to complete a required verification by the date required under Nevada law.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Corral was contacted at the agency’s Fernley substation and arrested on suspicion of a felony violation of NRS 179D.550. He was booked into the Lyon County Jail.
The following day, Northern Command deputies arrested Stephen Lafever of Fernley. The Sheriff’s Office identified Lafever as a Tier III registered sex offender and said he failed to complete his required registration.
Lafever was also arrested on suspicion of violating NRS 179D.550 and booked into the Lyon County Jail.
Two Dayton residents were arrested during the same period.
Edward Russell, 63, of Dayton, was arrested Sept. 18 by Western Command deputies. The Sheriff’s Office identified Russell as a Tier III registered sex offender and said he failed to complete a required verification by the required date.
Richard Baker of Dayton was arrested Sept. 25. Baker was identified as a Tier III registered sex offender who allegedly failed to complete his required registration.
Both men were arrested on suspicion of felony violations of NRS 179D.550 and booked into the Lyon County Jail.
The Sheriff’s Office issued its first release Sept. 24 following the Russell and Corral arrests. Four days later, the agency announced the arrests of Baker and Lafever, describing them as “two additional arrests” of registered sex offenders for failing to comply with statutory registration requirements.
LCSO Commander Jeff Miller said Sheriff Brad Pope has established a zero-tolerance policy regarding violations of Nevada’s sex offender registration requirements. When patrol deputies identify a registration violation and probable cause exists for an arrest, enforcement action is taken consistent with that policy. But Miller said the four arrests on Sept. 24 and Sept. 28 those releases were separate patrol enforcement actions under that policy and were not the result of a specific Sex Offender Task Force operation or coordinated SOTF compliance effort.
Miller said LCSO currently monitors 266 registered sex offenders countywide. The Sex Offender Task Force conducts compliance checks on an ongoing basis throughout the county. These checks are generally unannounced so that offenders do not know in advance when a compliance check will occur, as advance notice would defeat the purpose of verifying compliance under normal circumstances. These checks are conducted in addition to registered offenders reporting to the Sheriff’s Office and its substations to complete their mandatory registration verifications.
The Sheriff’s Office said registered sex offenders are responsible for complying with registration and verification requirements under Nevada law and that it will continue enforcement when violations are identified.
Nevada classifies registered sex offenders into three tiers under NRS Chapter 179D. Since Nevada adopted the federal Adam Walsh Act standards, offenders are classified primarily based on the offense of conviction rather than a subjective risk assessment.
Members of the public with information about a registered sex offender who may not be complying with registration requirements can contact the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Task Force at [email protected].
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