The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Missoula, on September 29, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, ERVIN JOSEPH RAMON, a 40-year-old resident of Ronan, appeared for sentencing. RAMON was sentenced to a term of:

Probation: 3 years

Special Assessment: $100

RAMON was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to failure to register as a sex offender.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

In January of 1991, in the U.S. District Court of Arizona, RAMON was convicted of abusive sexual contact and thereafter required to register as a sex offender. RAMON was notified of his obligation to register under Arizona law by the court when he was sentenced. RAMON registered as a sex offender and updated that registration in the state of Arizona from the time of his 1991 conviction until mid-November 2010.

In September 2008, when updating his sex offender registration with the Tohono O'Odham Nation Police in Arizona, RAMON was again notified of his duty to register under the Adam Walsh Act and the Arizona state sex offender laws. At that time, RAMON was advised that if he moved off of the Tohono O'Odham Nation, he must report to the county sheriff in the county and state where he would reside and must report his address to them within 72 hours. He was further advised that he was also required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction that he lived, attended school or college, any jurisdiction that he provided volunteer services, any place he would work at, or any place that he would stay for vacation.

In November 2010, RAMON moved to Montana with his wife and children to look for work. He did not check in with his tribal probation officer in Arizona for the month of December 2010.

Between December 1, 2010 and February 9, 2011, RAMON was not registered as a sex offender with any law enforcement agency in Montana.

On January 11, 2011, RAMON and his wife enrolled in the Salish Kootenai College located in Pablo to take a GED class.

In February 2011, law enforcement agents determined that RAMON and his wife had been staying in Ronan since the end of November 2010. In February 2011, they were attending the GED class, and attended a class on February 9, 2011.

RAMON was receiving mail at the address in Ronan and his spouse had obtained a Montana state driver's license on December 28, 2010, listing the same address.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Marshals Service, the Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Tohono O'Odham Nation Police (Arizona).

 

 

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