Two local men charged with failing to register as a sex offender as required

Daniel Eric Johnson, 34, and John N. Wiggins, 48, are each charged with failing to register as a sex offender as required by law based on a prior conviction. 

Johnson was charged after Ozark County Deputy Jeffrey Lane observed him driving a white Chevrolet Silverado on Sept. 11. 

According to the probable cause statement, Lane conducted a registration check on the Silverado, which was registered in Johnson’s wife’s and another woman’s names. As a convicted sex offender, Johnson is required to provide information on all vehicles he owns and operates.

According to the statement, the Silverado had been stored in front of the Johnson residence overnight since Aug. 28, 2023. An online photo from West Plains Auto World shows Johnson and his wife purchasing the vehicle on Aug. 25.

According to the statement, Johnson also failed to update his sex offender status within three business days of the sale/trade of a 2023 Chevrolet Trail Blazer and failed to report a Facebook account with instant messaging capabilities. The last Facebook public update was Aug. 25.

Johnson pleaded guilty in 2010 to child molestation in the second degree.

Wiggins was arrested Aug. 6 when Lt. Matt Rhoades responded to a civil call in Theodosia. 

According to the probable cause statement, Rhoades recognized Wiggins, who had placed the initial call, as a sex offender who had been previously arrested in the county for failing to register. Rhoades also checked Wiggins’ driver’s license status and found that he did not have a valid license.

Rhoades stated he determined that the vehicle Wiggins was driving had been purchased by Wiggins and had last been registered May 28, 2023. At that time, Wiggins listed his address as the Department of Corrections in Kansas City. 

Wiggins allegedly told Rhoades he was moving to the area. However, Rhoades wrote that the area Wiggins was planning on moving to was within 1,000 feet of the Lutie School, in violation of stipulations on his sex offender registration. 

According to the charges, Wiggins knowingly failed to register within 10 days of being released from the Missouri Department of Corrections in May. He was convicted of sexual misconduct in the second degree in 2019. The victim was under the age of 18.

Wiggins remains in the Ozark County Jail.