Three sex offenders failed to register with the Shelby County Sheriff’s department last month in the Calera area, a sheriff’s report said.

Jesse James Holmes, Curtis Pearson and David Earl Stoudimire all failed to register with the Sheriff’s office as of May 17.

Stoudimire has since been arrested for failing to register and the sheriff’s office has issued warrants for the arrests of Holmes and Pearson.

Federal law requires sex offenders to register in the area they live or if they move to a different area from where they are currently registered.

The brutal 1994 rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka prompted public demand for a broad-based sex offender community notification program.

On May 17, 1996, then-President Bill Clinton signed Megan’s Law, which requires sex offenders to register with local officials and requires law enforcement to notify the local community as soon as possible that they have an offender living nearby.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department notifies local residents of a sex offender living in their area within five days of the person’s release from prison or when they move to a new location.

&uot;It is important for residents to receive notification of offenders in their area because more than half of all rapes and sexual assaults occur within a mile of the victim’s home,&uot; the Shelby County sheriff’s website reads.

&uot;Also, an alarming 50 percent of sex offenders re-offend.&uot;

The sheriff’s office uses a state-of-the-art online notification system for residents to determine if there are sex offenders living in their areas.

Residents can type in their address and receive information on offenders in the area. The information provided includes:

* The offender’s name

* Any aliases the person might use

* A physical description and photo

* Nature of the person’s conviction

* Map of the offender’s address.

&uot;This system is important for us because it allows us to notify people in an easier manner,&uot; Shelby County Sheriff Capt. Chris Corbell said.

&uot;We can also reach a broader range of residents with this system.&uot;

Once a person registers with the system, they will begin receiving email alerts anytime an offender moves within a one-mile radius of their address.

Residents can also receive email notification for more than one address, such as schools, parks or relative’s homes.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s office reports that 80 percent of all addresses in the county have at least one sex offender residing within a mile.

&uot;It’s important for people to register with the system for the safety of their family,&uot; Corbell said.

– Brandon Gresha