Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Deputies and Detectives Track Pinellas County 15-Year-Old Runaway Girl to Colorado With Absconded Sexual Offender
Release Number: 09-282
Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
Youth Services Unit
Deputy Scott Matthews – Case Agent
Sergeant David Danzig – Assistant Case Agent
Investigative Operations Bureau
Sexual Predator Offender Tracking Unit
Detective Richard Bahret
Sixth Judicial District
Pinellas / Pasco State Attorney’s Office
Longmont Police Department, Colorado
225 Kimbark St.
Longmont, Colorado 80501
(303) 651-8555
John C. Smallbone (Arrested)
DOB: 07/06/1988
1260 77th Av. N., St. Petersburg, Fl.
Arrested for: Pinellas County warrants; one count Interference with Child Custody and one count Sexual Offender Failure to Register.
What: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives track Pinellas County runaway 15-year-old-girl to Longmont, Colorado in the custody of absconded sexual offender.
Please Note: Smallbone does not appear on the FDLE Sexual Offender registry because he is not subject to public notification since he was a juvenile when he committed the offense that gave him the sexual offender status. However, he has the same registration requirements as all registered sexual offenders.
The victim is a 15-year-old girl and to protect her identity no further information is releasable per F.S. 119.071 (2) (g) 3. b.
Where: The suspect was arrested at his mother’s residence 1200 Kimbark St., Apt. D8, Longmont, Colorado 80501
When: The investigation began September 12, 2009. The suspect was arrested, and the child recovered November 4, 2009 12:30 pm eastern time.
How/Why: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Youth Services Unit Deputies, with the assistance of Detectives from the Sexual Predator Offender Tracking Unit (SPOT), tracked a 15-year-old Runaway girl to Longmont, Colorado where she was found in the custody of absconded sexual offender, John Smallbone.
The investigation began when the victim’s parents reported her as a runaway on September 12, 2009. Deputies from the Youth Services Unit where able to determine through electronic records that she had made phone calls to a number belonging to registered sexual offender John Smallbone. Smallbone, 21, was registered living at 1260 77th Av. N., St. Petersburg, Fl.
Youth Services Unit deputies went to the residence where they made contact with Smallbone. He allowed deputies to search his residence however there was no sign of the victim. Smallbone pretended to cooperate but investigators determined his information was false.
Deputies were at the same time tracking the victim through a social networking website which she used on a regular basis. Deputies were able to pinpoint the address where the victim was posting the website from as the residence of the mother of absconded sexual offender, John Smallbone.
Deputies from the Youth Services Unit, with the assistance of the Pinellas Pasco State Attorney’s Office were able to obtain arrest warrants for Smallbone for one count Interference with Child Custody and one count Sexual Offender Failure to Register. Pinellas Deputies contacted Longmont Police and they began surveillance at the residence. Yesterday, Wednesday November 4, 2009 12:30 eastern standard time, Longmont Police Officers arrested Smallbone at the residence, and found the victim in his custody.
At this time Smallbone is in the custody of Colorado authorities awaiting extradition to Pinellas County. Plans are being made for the victim’s safe return to her parents.
Investigation continues.
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