KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A non-compliant sex offender was arrested in Kansas City’s Historic Northeast neighborhood Friday and FOX4 was there for it all.

FOX4 brought you the story Thursday of a woman who said the man is stalking her. Police got him to leave but he came back.

Instead of leaving in an ambulance this time, he left in handcuffs. The neighborhood is glad he is gone, but unsure if he will be back.

Missy Jones has been dealing with him for three years and thought after FOX4 got involved he would leave.

On Friday, both the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff’s Department interacted with the man who continued to loiter in the neighborhood. One arrested him and the other didn’t.

“I am beyond frustrated. I am beyond disgusted,” Jones said.

She said she is ready to finally feel at home. However, it’s hard to relax when having this man hanging around her neighborhood has her on edge.

Thursday, FOX4’s Sherae Honeycutt asked him why he wasn’t letting the court know where he is, and then he was taken away by an ambulance claiming someone assaulted him.

“At this point I don’t know what else to do,” Jones said.

Jones said the man used to live at a facility across the street from her house. She met him when he was walking around the neighborhood picking up trash. She believed he was a nice older man but over time she said he started making inappropriate comments to her, and she asked him to leave her alone.

She said he didn’t. He would time his walks around her schedule and every time she left her house he would be ready to talk. She said one time she caught him trying to peer into her windows. At some point she said the facility kicked him out and he had no where to go, and started sleeping on her neighbor’s porches.

Jones said she decided to look him up online and realized he was a non-compliant sex offender who was convicted of sexually assaulting two girls, twelve and fourteen, back in 2002. Even worse, she realized she knew him when she was a teenager. She was friends with his former step daughter, and had slept over at the family house years ago.

After police encouraged her Thursday, she went to the Jackson County Courthouse to file an ex-parte, but they can’t process it until next week when it can go in front of a judge.

Jones said when she spoke to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. They told her he could not be arrested due to COVID-19.

“What I was told today is that because of COVID he cannot be processed,” Jones said.

FOX4 reached out to Sheriff Darryl Forte who said it’s due to an administrative order to reduce COVID-19 transition. They can’t arrest offenders with bonds under $5,000 even if there is a warrant, and even if they are non-compliant.

“I hate to say it, but I’m probably just going to have to go stay somewhere else,” Jones said.

According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, as of June 30, 40% of all sex offenders in Jackson County are non-compliant. In total, there are 2,300 sex offenders in the county. 932 are considered non-compliant, and 107 have absconded — which means in the eyes of the county they have disappeared.

“That just makes my stomach drop,” Jones said.

One of them was sitting on a porch next door to Jones’ house, and once again, FOX4’s Sherae Honeycutt confronted him.

“Sir, why are you back here? Why are you back here?” Honeycutt said. “Why do you keep coming back here when you make people uncomfortable? We talked about this yesterday, and I told you how your neighbors felt, and I didn’t want to come back here today and talk about this.”

“No neighbors said anything to me about it,” the man said.

“They don’t need to say it. They’ve already said it to you, sir, and I’ve already said it to you,” Honeycutt said.

“Nobody said anything to me,” the man repeated.

“We had a whole conversation that aired on television yesterday,” Honeycutt said.

“I don’t watch television,” the man said.

“Well, that’s alright. You experienced it, and lived it, and I’m back here to talk to you about it again. Are you going to come back here again?” Honeycutt said.

“I might just stay up in the park,” he said.

He did walk toward the park where children play, but didn’t get far before KCPD drove by and arrested him for multiple warrants. One of them for being a non-compliant sex offender. He was taken to East Patrol to be processed, and it’s unclear how long he will be held.

Jones said she’s glad he was finally arrested, but isn’t waiting around for him to come back.

“It makes me feel very good, but for how long?” Jones said.

KCPD said the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department handles the sex offender registry and any violations.

KCPD will take a report on any new offenses, and if they come across someone who is non-compliant and a warrant has been issued they will arrest them on the warrant, but if there is not a warrant they won’t make an arrest.

If officers make contact with someone who is listed as a non-compliant sex offender, the officer will notify the Jackson County Sex Offender Unit. 

As for a non-compliant sex offender who is harassing, stalking, or committing any offense, the victim needs to make a report at that time as that is a new offense, and the sex offender unit would be contacted.