Sex offender accused of multiple sexual offenses against a minor arrested, wanted in Lee and Webster counties

EUPORA, Miss. (WCBI) – Wednesday, the U.S. Marshal Service arrested a registered sex offender wanted on multiple charges in both Webster and Lee counties.

Keeping tabs on registered sex offenders living in their jurisdiction is something the Webster County Sheriff’s Department takes very seriously.

“When Sheriff (David) Gore took office, he pulled me in his office and he told me he wanted us to completely go over the sex offender (list), all of ours here,” says Chief Deputy J.C. Smith. “Find out who they were, where they were, make sure they were all current.”

“We do keep contact with them as required by law from time to time to make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be, where they say they are,” Sheriff Gore says.

That watchfulness led them to issue a warrant for the arrest of 45-year-old Sammie Crumble during mid-January.

“We began looking for him, checking the registration, where he had registered as an address,” Chief Deputy Smith says. “And when we didn’t locate him, we started making phone calls to family members.”

Crumble was first convicted of two counts of 2nd-degree sexual abuse in Oregon. The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act requires sex offenders to register their current whereabouts four times a year and immediately notify law enforcement in person if that is changing.

“Wherever you say your residency is, your domicile, that’s where you have to live,” Sheriff Gore says. “You’ve got seven days to notify the county that you’re either in or going to.”

In October 2021, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department received a report of someone sexually assaulting a minor. During its investigation, the department says it learned of reports that Crumble committed multiple sexual offenses on a minor and issued a warrant for his arrest.

“This individual is exactly what SORNA was created for,” Chief Deputy Smith says. “You live on the West Coast and you decide to move to the completely opposite part of the country to try to get away from your past.”

The Lee County Sheriff’s Department learned Crumble was possibly making plans to flee the country and worked with the U.S. Marshal Service to arrest him.

“Finding out where they were, who was registered, who was current and who wasn’t,” the chief deputy says. “That’s how a lot of these names have come up. He’s just the latest.”

The Webster County Sheriff’s Department credits deputy jail administrator Denise Mays for overseeing their sex offender database.

Crumble is currently in the Lee County Jail on a $250,000 bond and could face other charges as the investigation continues.