Registered sex offender accused of bringing Oklahoma teen to Florence
Registered sex offender Stacey Deines, 35, was arrested by sheriff’s officers and U.S. marshals Thursday morning as he arrived at his parents’ home in Florence.
A 16-year-old girl he allegedly had picked up in the middle of the night in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, more than 350 miles away, was reported safe and sound, back with her parents in Oklahoma.
Sheriff Rob Craft was contacted by the Oklahoma authorities after the girl was reported missing.
“It worked out real well,” Craft said. “The information that we had was very accurate as far as where they were heading. We were able to just be there upon their arrival.”
Deines arrived at his parents’ home, where he also resides, just after 7:30 a.m. He was arrested on the spot with no resistance.
Published reports indicate neighbors knew of Deines’ history and have had encounters with him.
“He’s a known sex offender and he’s been known in the past to try to pick up underage girls,” Treva Janzen, who works in the complex where Deines lives, was quoted as saying. “I’m actually surprised the law let him live so close to the pool. The pool is just around the corner.”
Sheriff Ron Lockhart of Sequoyah County urged parents to keep an eye on their children’s Internet activity.
“Parents need to pay special attention to what their younger children are doing on the Internet,” he was quoted as saying. “This guy drove 350 to 400 miles at midnight to pick up a 16-year-old girl and took her back home with him.”
Deines is being held in Marion County Jail on a charge of kidnapping. The process of his extradition to Oklahoma is underway.