DEKALB COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office says a registered sex offender has been arrested after establishing a campsite near Collinsville School.
DCSO said on Monday, April 7, an SRO assigned to Collinsville School received a tip saying that a sex offender had been seen on school grounds after hours. The sheriff’s office said the tip said he may have been using school buses for shelter.
According to the sheriff’s office, at around 10:45 p.m. Monday, investigators and other deputies, along with members of the Collinsville Police Department, searched the area where the man had been seen. DCSO said that investigators found a capsite in a heavily wooded area near the school and found a man at the campsite.
The sheriff’s office said the man was identified as Kenneth Earl Phillips, 67, of Collinsville. Authorities said that Phillips is a convicted sex offender stemming from a first degree rape conviction in 1992 in St. Clair County. Police said Phillips recently registered as homeless.
DCSO said that Phillips was initially arrested for third-degree criminal trespass by the Collinsville Police Department for camping on property owned by the city. The sheriff’s office said he was later arrested and charged with a sex offender registry and notification act violation due to the location being less than 1000 feet from a school building.
Sheriff Nick Welden said he is happy deputies were able to locate Phillips before an incident happened.
“I am glad that through the hard work of our Criminal Investigations Unit, Collinsville SRO and Collinsville PD, we were able to locate this individual before any other incident could occur,” He said. “Please be vigilant and know your surroundings at all times so when you see something out of the ordinary, you will know. And never hesitate to call if you think something criminal is going on.”
Jail records show Phillips is being held at the DeKalb County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.
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