Police in Virginia are asking the public for help in locating two men and one woman who are wanted for failing to re-register as sex offenders, according to reports.
The three individuals, who are residents of Amherst County, are wanted by the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Investigative Unit, a spokesperson for Virginia State Police said July 8.
According to reports, the trio can no longer be located at their homes Piedmont region, reported WTVR.
Police have shared the photos of three convicted sex offenders who are now wanted for failing to re-register, according to police. https://t.co/VA2Nz9JnFZ
— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) 8 July 2019
“The Virginia State Police Sex Offender Investigative Unit is seeking the public’s help with locating three convicted sex offenders who are registered but no longer living at their individual Amherst County residences,” the spokesperson said.
The wanted female, Elizabeth Jane Gilbert, is a 5’3” white woman with blonde hair and hazel eyes, and weighs approximately 220 lbs, police said.
Gilbert is wanted for one count for failure to re-register as a sex offender, and last resided on Johns Creek Road several months ago. She also has links with the Portsmouth and Virginia Beach areas.
Police are also trying to locate 61-year-old suspect Steven Howard Trent, who is wanted for one count of failure to re-register as a sex offender, reported WTVR.
Trent is a white male with brown eyes and gray hair who was last lied at an address on South Coolwell Road, according to records.
Danny Ray Campbell is the third convicted sex offender wanted for one count of failure to re-register, police said.
The 60-year-old is a 5”11 white male with blue eyes and gray hair, weighing approximately 240 lbs, according to police.
The Sex Offender Investigative Unit has tried for several months to contact Campbell at his registered address on West Perch Road without success.
Virginia State Police urge members of the public with any further information on the whereabouts of the individuals to get in touch through their “Tips” link just below each photograph of the offenders on the VSP Sex Offender Registry site.
According to a report released last month by the security research site ASecureLife, the state of Virginia ranks 28th in the most convicted sex offenders per capita in the United States, reported Patch.
The data, which was obtained by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, claims there are 280 sex offenders per 100,000 residents in Virginia.
The U.S. state that ranked first was Oregon, with 688 registered sex offenders per 100,000 residents, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the state with the fewest registered sex offenders per 100,000 people was Maryland, with 125, analysis of the data found.
82 Arrested in Multistate Child-Abuse Operation
In related news, 82 people were arrested in May for their involvement in a child exploitation operation that stretched across eight states.
Their arrest came after a three-day execution of the plan dubbed Operation Southern Impact III, with some of those arrested including a mechanic, day care administrator, youth group leader, former high school band director, freelance photographer, construction worker, and a painter.
The alleged acts, coordinated by the criminals aged between 20 and 70, occurred in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Operation Southern Impact III, a joint, proactive cooperation of 10 Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces in those eight states focused on the people who distribute and own child pornography, and those who exploit children sexually using technology, the internet, and any other means available to them.
The planning of the four-month sting—Operation Southern Impact III culminated in three days of execution that included executing search warrants, conducting “knock and talks, arrests, and sex offender compliance verification visits said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
There were 171 law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies participating in the efforts according to the GBI, they targeted those looking for and distributing the most violent sexual abuse material involving infants and toddlers.
During the operation, 134 search warrants were executed and 215 knock and talks were conducted in the eight states. Agents previewed 861 digital devices and 1,613 digital devices were seized. Of those devices seized 203 were mobile phones, said the GBI.
Thirty-one people were arrested in Georgia, seven had traveled to engage a minor in sex.
Samuel Allegri contributed to this report.
