Joint Press Release-Mountain Home Police Department & Baxter County Sheriff’s Office

On Tuesday, August 05, 2014 a county wide sex offender compliance check was done on all of the registered sex offenders who live in Baxter County.  Four agents from the US Marshalls Office,  four officers from the Arkansas Community Corrections Office, two Troopers from the Arkansas State Police, two Investigators from the Mountain Home Police Department and five deputies from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office fanned out to make sure all of the sex offenders were in compliance with Arkansas Law.

There are 72 registered sex offenders living in Baxter County (all other cities and areas of the county except within the City Limits of Mountain Home) and 18 sex offenders living within the City Limits of Mountain Home. Of these eight (8) are currently in jail or prison.  3 of the 72 registered sex offenders actually live in Marion County but work in Baxter County.

At the end of the compliance check, all registered sex offenders in the City Limits of Mountain Home were located and/or verified with only one minor noncompliance issue.  In Baxter County there was one arrest of a female registered sex offender for moving to a different address without notification to the Sheriff’s Office. 

Loretta Gayle Dudgeon, age 31 of rural Mountain Home, was charged with:

Failure to Comply With Sex Offender Registration Requirements  - Class C Felony

Dudgeon is currently being held in the Baxter County Detention Center on bond of $15,000 pending her appearance in Baxter County Circuit Court on August 28^th at 9 am.

All other registered sex offenders in Baxter County were either located and/or verified with the exception of one who had absconded. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Bruce Alton Cook,  age 23 on July 7, 2014, his whereabouts are unknown. Anyone with information about Bruce Alton Cook is asked to contact the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office.

We appreciate all of the agencies that helped with this operation.  Both Chief Manuel and Sheriff Montgomery are very pleased with the outcome of this operation.  It is the dedicated staff and officers of both agencies that do an outstanding job of making sure the registered sex officers are in compliance with Arkansas Law and the public is properly notified.

Chief Carry Manuel
Sheriff John Montgomery