James Robert Underwood, whom Georgia officials classified as a dangerous sexual preda- tor following his conviction in that state, lived in Old Orchard Beach in 2012.
Maine Department of Corrections records show Underwood was convicted at York County Superior Court in April 2013 for gross sexual assault that took place in Old Orchard Beach on March 31, 2012. For that crime, he was sentenced to eight years in prison, with all but two years suspended, and ordered to serve four years probation.
He had been living in Dalton, Georgia and was on probation following his release from a Maine prison when he was charged with failing to register as a sex offender in Maine.
His history in Georgia shows he completed his 10-year sentence for rape, false imprisonment and assault there in 2009 and registered as a sex offender in 2010 and 2011. But a few months prior to his 2012 re-registration deadline, Underwood drove to Maine with his adult son in order to start a new life, according to documents on file at U.S. District Court in Portland. Within a couple of days of his arrival in Maine, he began a 40-hour work week with a company that is now defunct, according to the documents.
He didn’t notify the Whitefield County, Georgia Sheriff ’s Office of his trip to Maine, a requirement of his mandate to register as a sex offender within 72 hours of the move, and he didn’t register in Maine. Underwood is a lifetime registrant, which means he is required to register annually as a sex offender. As well, his status in Georgia requires that he be subject to electronic monitoring for the rest of his life while residing in that state.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshal Service, the Maine Probation Office, Maine State Police and the State Bureau of Identification.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].
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