A Texas man with a long child-sex conviction on his record was arrested in Hernando County after investigators say they found him quietly living in Weeki Wachee. John Earnest Collier Jr., 61, was taken into custody on March 24 after authorities determined he had moved to Florida earlier this year and failed to notify officials as required. Collier faces a Florida charge for failing to register as a sexual offender within 48 hours of moving and is being held at the local jail without bond. Detectives worked with federal marshals to bring him in.
How Detectives Tracked Him Down
Investigators say the arrest started with a tip that led Detective Marcacci to run Collier’s name through national criminal databases. That search flagged two active felony warrants out of Polk County, Texas, both for parole violations. According to the Tampa Free Press, those warrants stem from an aggravated sexual assault of a child case and a prior failure to register. Hernando County detectives, working alongside the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, arrested Collier in Weeki Wachee on March 24.
Conviction In Texas
Collier was convicted in Polk County, Texas, in 2008 of aggravated sexual assault of a child and received a 25-year prison sentence, according to a press release from the Polk County District Attorney's Office. The release detailed the offense and noted that prosecutors relied on evidence of physical injury to the victim during trial. That conviction, along with the parole supervision that followed, underlies the active Texas warrants that showed up in national systems.
What Authorities Say In Florida
During questioning, Collier admitted he had violated his parole in Texas and fled the state, and that he had been living in Weeki Wachee since January without registering, according to investigators. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office told the Tampa Free Press that “Compliance with registration and reporting requirements is not optional. Those who choose to violate the law will be located and held accountable.” Collier now faces a Florida charge for failing to register and remains jailed without bond while the case moves forward.
Enforcement In Hernando
Hernando County has shown an active pattern of enforcing sex-offender reporting rules this month, circulating several media releases about registration-related arrests. The sheriff’s office maintains a press-release index that lists multiple March cases involving failures to report addresses, phone numbers and vehicle information, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. The Collier arrest slots into that broader enforcement push and underscores how tips and database checks are being put to work locally.
What The Law Says
Florida’s registration statute requires sex offenders to report changes in residence, vehicles, internet identifiers and other key information within tight timelines, and treats many lapses as crimes. Under the state law cited in Florida Senate materials, omissions or false information can be charged as a third-degree felony, punishable under the state’s criminal code, with actual penalties depending on the details of the violation and judicial discretion. That legal framework is what Hernando detectives used when they arrested Collier for failing to register after moving to Florida.
Collier remains in the Hernando County Jail while local authorities coordinate next steps with out-of-state officials. Detectives have asked anyone with information about his movements in Florida to contact Hernando County Crime Stoppers, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. The case highlights how cross-jurisdiction databases and fugitive task forces are increasingly central tools for tracking offenders who cross state lines.
