Charles Robert Withrow Jonesv.The State
Charles Robert Withrow Jones was convicted of violating Georgia’s sexual-offender-registration statute by failing to report to the proper sheriff within the statutory period before his birthday. Jones had moved from Gwinnett County to Walton County shortly before the deadline, registered in Walton County, and testified that he had begun sleeping there even though the move was not complete. The State relied on the registration records and argued that the evidence established a failure to renew the required information. The Court of Appeals reversed because the evidence did not prove the specific statutory violation charged in the indictment. The statute required an offender to report to the sheriff of the county where he resided or slept, and the record did not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Jones was required to report to Gwinnett County during the charged period. The court therefore did not reach his other evidentiary and burden-of-proof arguments. The conviction was reversed. Two judges concurred.
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