Crime & Safety

Police: Missing Sex Offender Arrested

The man's last address was listed in Columbia.


Update - Wednesday - 8:45 a.m.

Police arrested Arthur Edward Spicer, Jr. at a friend's residence in the Prince George's County portion of Laurel on Tuesday night.

He was arrested without incident, according to police.

Police were looking for Spicer, whose last known address was in Columbia, after they couldn't locate him in a pre-Halloween sweep of local registered sex offenders.

During the sweep, police accounted for all of the 104 registered sex offenders in Howard County except Spicer, 37, of the 6600 block of Dovecote Drive.

Two warrants were issued for Spicer's arrest, one for the registry violation and another for failure to pay child support.

Spicer was convicted of 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct in Marquette, MI, in 1997, according to state sex offender records.

“We wanted to do this sweep before Halloween to make sure we know where our sex offenders are living,” said Police Chief William McMahon, in a statement. “We recommend that parents check the sex offender registry before taking their children trick-or-treating.” 

The Maryland Sex Offender Registry allows residents to search for sex offenders near their address.

Police said they make regular visits to verify sex offenders' residences and workplaces. In the county, offenders are required to re-register regularly with police.


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