With Halloween and the holidays fast approaching, U.S. marshals are seeking help in capturing a child sex offender before he strikes again.
Demont Hancock is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service for violation of parole and he is wanted by the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for failure to register as a convicted sex offender.
Hancock, 27, was convicted of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in Northeast Washington in 2000 and sentenced to four years in prison. After serving his time, Hancock was required to register as a sex offender in the District on July 23, but instead he fled, authorities said.
“It’s Halloween time so there’s going to be lots of kids running around, and we’d like to try to pick him up before there are any other victims,” said Matthew Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.
U.S. marshals are investigating potential violations of the Adam Walsh Act, a federal law signed in 2006 that can make failure to register as a sex offender a federal offense if the person crosses state lines or if the person originally was convicted of a felony, Burke said.
Hancock has previous arrests for domestic violence and assault. He is black, described as 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds with a tattoo on both arms. He has a history of being in Washington, but is currently believed to be in the Charles County area, possibly Waldorf or White Plains.
Anyone with information is asked to call the U.S. Marshals Service at 301-489-1717 or 800-336-0102. Law enforcement authorities are offering a reward for information leading to his arrest.
The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, run by the U.S. Marshals Service, is composed of 28 federal, state and local agencies from Baltimore to Norfolk. The unit has captured more than 19,000 wanted fugitives since its creation in 2004.
