Neighbors in Memphis’ High Point Terrace say they had already sounded the alarm once. This week, they watched a registered sex offender get taken back into custody after residents reported that a man was following random women and snapping their pictures with his phone, according to police.
As reported by FOX13 Memphis, officers returned to the neighborhood after residents flagged the behavior and arrested the man again. FOX13’s review of records and interviews indicates the re-arrest followed an earlier neighborhood detention and a brief release, despite court paperwork that had advised against letting him go without conditions.
Prior Allegations In Nashville
The name tied to this week’s arrest is already familiar to law enforcement in Tennessee. Metro Nashville Police previously identified a Jason Williams as a suspect in a violent 2017 assault in the Belmont area, according to NewsChannel5. That case, along with other entries in public files, highlights how investigations can cross county lines and complicate efforts to monitor people on the sex offender registry.
According to FOX13’s reporting, court documents show Williams pleaded guilty in 2022 to a rape charge and received a sentence totaling about 10 years when time served is included. Those records indicate he was released from prison in November 2025 and is currently under parole supervision, based on Tennessee Department of Correction data cited by the station. During the recent inquiries, officers also discovered an unreported Facebook account under the name “Jay Avenue” that investigators linked to the defendant, FOX13 reports.
What The Registry Requires
Tennessee’s Sex Offender Registry rules require people on supervision to report to their registering agency promptly and to disclose online identifiers such as social media accounts. Failure to report can itself be punished, at times as a felony, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Sex Offender Registry guidance. The TBI manual also notes that agencies must track changes, and that offenders are required to report a new residence or other material changes within strict timeframes.
Court forms reviewed by FOX13 reportedly warned prosecutors and judges about the nature of the allegations and suggested the defendant should not be released without conditions. Nevertheless, records show he was released, and investigators later flagged his registry status. Around that same period, Memphis police issued a warrant tied to a registry violation, the station reports.
Neighbors told reporters they were unnerved after seeing a man repeatedly shadow women in the area and raise his phone to photograph them. Some residents said they recorded their own videos, called police, and shared what they had seen, while others said they hoped the renewed custody would keep the neighborhood calmer as detectives sort through paperwork and possible charges.
The Memphis Police Department urges anyone who spots suspicious behavior to contact MPD or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH, and to call 911 in emergencies, according to the department’s public guidance. Memphis Police also posts online resources for reporting concerns and taking basic safety steps, including information about online activity.
