Florida Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced today that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced HENRY ALLEN FOWLER, age 52, of Florida, to 24 months in federal prison following his conviction for failing to register in Louisiana as a sex offender.  The Court also sentenced FOWLER to five years of supervised release following imprisonment. 

In 2004, FOWLER was convicted of a sexual offense in the State of Florida.  As a result of this conviction, FOWLER was classified as a Tier III sex offender, and was required to register as a convicted sex offender for life, which registration must be updated quarterly.  FOWLER last registered with the State of Ohio and indicated that he resided in Akron, Ohio.  FOWLER was due to update his registration in Ohio in March 2018, but failed to do so.  As a result of this failure, a State warrant was issued for FOWLER’s arrest in Ohio.

The defendant left Ohio and eventually moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.   Shortly thereafter, law enforcement officers conducted a routine traffic stop of a vehicle in which FOWLER was a passenger.  During this traffic stop, law enforcement officers learned that FOWLER had a warrant for his arrest from the State of Ohio.  At the time of this encounter, the defendant had been residing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but he had not updated his registration in Ohio or registered in Louisiana. 

U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “We take seriously our obligation to make our communities safer and will not tolerate unregistered sex offenders crossing state lines and concealing prior criminal behavior in order to avoid their notification responsibilities. I want to thank our prosecutors and the United States Marshal Service for bringing this offender to justice.”

“The U.S. Marshals Service is committed to ensuring convicted sex offenders comply with their registration requirements and keeping our community safe.  As in this case, working together with all levels of law enforcement is a key component in that effort.  When offenders like Fowler travel across state lines and try to avoid registering, we will not stop searching for them until they are in handcuffs,” Acting United States Marshal Randy L. Breckwoldt stated.

 This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana and the United States Marshals Service with substantial assistance from the Baton Rouge Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Flowers.