MARATHON, FLA. (WSVN) - Deputies took a registered sex offender into custody after he attempted to elude them by jumping into a canal in Marathon.
A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted 43-year-old George Stemage around children who were participating in Halloween activities along Dolphin Drive on Thursday night.
Officials said the deputy recognized Stemage from previous law enforcement encounters and went up to him to determine his sex offender registration status when Stemage took off on foot.
Several other deputies joined the pursuit, ordering Stemage to stop, but he refused, officials said.
He proceeded to jump into a canal near Yellowtail Drive.
It is unclear how long Stemage was in the canal before a sergeant on scene was able to convince him to get out.
He was taken into custody and charged with obstructing an officer without violence.
Stemage is a registered sex offender in Georgia with a prior conviction of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim between the ages of 12 and 15.
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