East Central Reporter

There were two new registered sex offenders living in Clay County in the week ending March 16 compared to the week before, according to the Illinois Police Sex Offender Registry.

The Registry showed that, in total, 26 sexual offenders were living in Clay County, compared to 24 the week before.

The offenders moving into Clay County may have been recently convicted or moved from other cities in the US.

According to a 2024 study by SafeHome.org, Illinois ranks fifth in the total number of registered sex offenders, with more than 34,000 living in the state.

Nationally, the study found over 795,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. as of August 2024 — an increase of approximately 8,000 compared to 2023.

Offender	Title	Status	Crime
Kenneth S. Loss	Non-verified Adult Sex Offender	Compliant	Failure to report a change of address/employment, Public indecency/exposure/3rd+ and Public indecency/lewd exposure
James Edward Gergen	Non-verified Adult Sex Offender	Compliant	Public indecency/exposure/3rd+ and Violate sex offender registration
Michael L. Zwilling	Non-verified Child Sex Offender	Compliant	Criminal sexual assault/2nd+
Benjamin Jordan	Non-verified Child Sex Offender	Compliant	Grooming
James Rowdy Scott	Non-verified Child Sex Offender	Compliant	Grooming
Paul W. Harden II	Non-verified Child Sex Offender	Compliant	Indecent solicitation of a child
Dillon L. Gordon	Non-verified Child Sex Offender	Compliant	Sexual exploitation of a child/sex act
Steven Louis Taylor	Sexual Predator	Non-Compliant	Aggravated criminal sex abuse/bodily harm and Criminal sexual assault
Andrew R. Vanausdall	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16
David J. Carter	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16
Dustin J. Martin	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16
Lance W. Collins	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16
Levi D. Byers	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16
Nathan A. Buchanan	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16 and Fail to register w/in 3 days of new residence/school
Paul Kalisz	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16
Ryan J. Keller	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16
Steven L. McKibben	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim 13-16
Christopher M. Buening	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim <13 and Fail to register w/in 3 days of new residence/school
Joseph B. Hancock	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Aggravated criminal sexual abuse/victim <13
Jason S. Thomas	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Attempt and Predatory criminal sexual assault
Michael Lawrence Pittman	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Child pornography victim less than 13
Danny L. Martin	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Child pornography/film/photos
Clyde Mullins	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Criminal sexual assault/force, Failure to report a change of address/employment, Felony conviction after 7/1/2011 and Violate sex offender registration
Jessie A. Reynolds	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Criminal sexual assault/victim 13-17
Danny a Korzenewski	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Notification/no fixed address, Predatory criminal sexual assault and Violate sex offender registration
Ellery R. Thomas	Sexual Predator	Compliant	Predatory criminal sexual assault