Just one week after heightened public attention to sex offender enforcement in Modoc County, Alturas Police arrested a registered sex offender who was found to be out of compliance with California law.
According to the Alturas Police Department, officers responded on June 24 to a traffic incident involving a bicyclist and an SUV at the intersection of West 4th Street and North West C Street. During their investigation, officers identified the driver of the SUV as 67-year-old Michael Stephen Mead of Pasadena.
A routine records check revealed that Mead is a registered sex offender. Further investigation showed that he was not in compliance with California’s sex offender registration requirements. Mead was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Modoc County Jail for a felony violation of Penal Code § 290.018(b), which pertains to knowingly failing to meet mandated registration obligations.
Officers later determined that although Mead had been living in Modoc County for over a year, he continued to report his residence as transient out of Pasadena. Police say this amounted to an attempt to circumvent the law.
The Alturas Police Department emphasized that it takes compliance with sex offender laws seriously and will continue to enforce public safety standards. The case remains under review, and authorities said additional charges may be submitted to the Modoc County District Attorney’s Office.
