A local man is charged with failure to register as a sex offender after he was found to be staying in the Roland area after being convicted of rape in Arkansas in 1999.

Andre D. Dotson, 48, was charged on September 3 in Sequoyah County District Court and received a $7,500 bond. He is now scheduled for a November 5 felony disposition docket before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.

Roland Police officer Brandon Luper reported officer Blake Brunk spoke to Dotson at about 3:41 a.m. on August 15, when he was seen walking on Adirondack Lane. When he questioned Dotson about where he lived, Dotson told him he resided on a nearby street, which was recorded on the officer’s body camera.

Brunk later discovered Dotson was a registered sex offender in the state of Arkansas, and the address he provided was located within 2,000 feet of Roland’s eastside park.

Luper reached out to Fort Smith authorities who were able to confirm Dotson was a registered sex offender but no longer lived at the registered address he provided. They also told Luper they were planning to request an arrest warrant for Dotson.

According to the probable cause affiavit filed in the case, Luper spotted Dotson on Aug. 26 walking down Shady Lane and arrested him on the warrant.

During an interview, Dotson reportedly told authorities he’d been homeless for about the last three years. He said he had lived in Roland, Muldrow, Sallisaw and Vian during that time, and had used a family member’s address in Fort Smith for his registration.

He said he did not report his address change because he didn’t have any other address to use.

If found guilty of the charge, Dotson could face up to five years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $5,000, or both.