Sex Offender Registration Violation / Arrest

DATE & TIME: 05-7-2018 @ 1830

LOCATION: Ellis Nebraska and 700 block of West Mary Street, Beatrice

OFFENSE: Sex Offender Registration Violation / Arrest

CASE #: 2018-2145

Investigators from the Gage County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Metro Fugitive Task Force and United States Marshal’s Service arrested 35-year-old Jason Allen Pate, a registered sex offender with an address listed in Ellis, Nebraska, on violations of the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration Act.  Jason Pate was taken into custody by Gage County Sheriff’s Office investigators when he came to the jail to visit an inmate.

The investigation started on May 4^th, 2018, when the sheriff’s office received complaints about a camper parked on an abandoned property in Ellis. An investigator with the sheriff’s office followed up on the complaint and established the address in question, 30924 Southwest 117^th Road, was the same address Jason Allen Pate had listed with the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry. On May 4^th there were no vehicles or people at the location and on his sex offender registration paperwork Jason Pate listed he was unemployed.

Over the course of the next twelve days, an investigator followed-up with neighbors, witnesses, and checked with the church across the street from Pate’s address.  A substantial amount of information was collected from witnesses that all consistently reported Jason Pate had not been at that address since about May 4^th. Several physical checks at the residence showed no signs of anyone being at the address, or having been at the address; no fresh tire tracks, no trash, and the camper did not have electricity or utilities hooked up.

On Thursday, May 17^th, 2018 officers from the Metro Fugitive Task Force arrested a female in the 700 block of West Mary Street on a warrant. A deputy United States Marshal observed a vehicle he had noticed at the same location when they were there on May 11^th to arrest another registered sex offender. The deputy marshal made contact with Jason Pate, the owner of the vehicle, and was notified Jason Pate was a registered sex offender. The deputy marshal asked Jason Pate why he was not at his address and he stated he did not have electricity and he had been staying at his sister’s house for a couple weeks. He was asked if he knew he had to register his address and Jason Pate said yes he knew.  Jason Pate told the deputy marshal he did not want to go back to jail. At the time of his contact with Jason Pate, the deputy marshal was not aware of the ongoing investigation of Jason Pate for violation of the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration Act.

The deputy from the US Marshal’s Service contacted an investigator from the Gage County Sheriff’s Office and informed him of Jason Pate’s location and the information Pate had admitted to, about not staying at his address for two weeks. The Gage County Sheriff’s Office investigator notified other Gage County deputies and Gage County corrections officers, Southeast Communications and officers from the Beatrice Police Department of Jason Pate being a registered sex offender and if they had contact with Jason Pate to notify an investigator as probable cause existed to arrest him on the felony charge of violation of the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration Act.

At approximately 1830 hours a Gage County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer noticed Jason Pate come into the sheriff’s office to visit a friend who had been arrested earlier that day. The corrections officer notified deputies and an investigator detained Jason Pate in the lobby of the sheriff’s office. The investigator who had been investigating the case arrested Jason Pate and booked him into jail, then turned him over to Gage County Corrections officers for housing in the jail.

A person subject to the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration Act is required to notify the sheriff’s office of the county of his residence of information such as, but not limited to, permanent residence address, temporary or habitual addresses, employment, phone numbers, and vehicle information.  This information must be provided in a timely manner and completing the paperwork takes approximately 5-10 minutes at the sheriff’s office. There is no fee or monetary charge to the registered sex offender to update information. This information is then forwarded to the Nebraska State Patrol Sex Offender Registry Unit in Lincoln, Nebraska and used to post on the public website for information on registered sex offenders.

This case involved reports from citizens, interviews of neighbors, the public checking the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration website and forwarding inconsistent information to deputies and investigators for the sheriff’s office, and communication between the Metro Fugitive Task Force, the United States Marshal’s Service, and investigators from the Gage County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson #903

Investigator T. Hanson #90310

Investigator M. Ernst #90315