Johnston County Resident Pleads Guilty To Failure To Register As A Sex Offender

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Lance Alden Whelchel, age 30, of Wapanucka, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

The Indictment alleged that Whelchel was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country in the Eastern District of Oklahoma on May 24, 2023, and was required to register as a sex offender.  From July 5, 2024, until September 12, 2024, Whelchel failed to register and update his registration despite entering, leaving, or residing in Indian country, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Harris County Texas Sheriff’s Office.

The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.  Whelchel will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.