POLSON — A level three sex offender was in Lake County District Court last Wednesday after he allegedly failed to report his new address to law enforcement. Phillip Pierre pleaded not guilty to charges of failure to give notice of a change of address by a sexual or violent offender.

Level three sex offenders have a high risk of re-offending and when such an offender is released from prison, there is usually a community meeting where the offender is going to live to inform citizens about them.

According to Lake County Sheriff’s Office and federal marshall reports, 50-year-old Pierre is required to register as a sex offender after a conviction for sexual intercourse without consent.

On April 4, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy went to Pierre’s registered address in Pablo to verify compliance with the SVOR registry. The officer was told by several people at the residence that the defendant no longer lived there and provided a different address. The officer located Pierre who said he knew why the officer was looking for him “because he wasn’t registered there.”

When interviewed at the Sheriff’s Office, Pierre said he knew he had to change his registration when he moved out but did not do so. He added that he only lived at the registered address for a few weeks and had been at his new address for several weeks without giving notice.

Pierre faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a $10,000 fine. His omnibus hearing is set for Wednesday, July 2 at 9 a.m. and a jury trial is set for Monday, Oct. 15 at 9 a.m.