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Last updated on Sunday, February 3, 2013
(PEKIN) - A convicted sex offender is facing two new charges.
Stephanie Taylor Ferriell, of the Leader-Democrat reports, Donald Westmorland, 54, of Pekin, is charged with possession of child pornography and failure to properly register as a sex offender, both Class D felonies.
Westmorland was released from prison in March 2011 following a 2007 conviction in Jefferson County, Ky., for sexual abuse in the first degree. He is currently supervised by the Indiana Parole Board.
When a parole board officer conducted a home visit Jan. 10, he found Westmorland had a smartphone linked to an email account. Westmorland had failed to list that email address on his sex offender registry. When Westmorland allowed the officer to search the phone, the officer discovered it contained multiple images of sexual conduct by females appearing to be under the age of 16. Westmorland is being held on a $3,000 cash bond ($2,000 surety, $10,000 property).
According to the sex offender registry at www.indianasheriffs.org, Westmorland's previous conviction involved children. He is required to register for life.
Residents may access the registry for information on any of the 71 registered sex offenders in Washington County. Visitors may sign up for email alerts when an offender moves into their area. You may also access a hard copy of the sex offender registry 24 hours a day, seven days a week at either the Salem Police Department or the Washington County Sheriff's Department.
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