Effective 9/1/01, sex offenders subject to the registration law must get a new DL and renew it every year. See art. 62.065, CCP. Now, if you wander over the art. 62.10, you also discover that failure to comply with any requirement of the registraton laws is a felony offense.

So, my question is: Can you charge a sex offender who fails to get his DL replaced or renewed with a felony offense of failure to follow the registration law? Police officers, when getting back DL info from their dispatcher are being informed of the sex offender's status under the registration law and whether they have complied with it. Can they make an on site felony arrest if defendant has failed to get a new DL or renew in a timely manner?

John, it sure looks like you can, under the plain language of the statutes.

I looked up the bill last session and saw that CCP 62.065 was actually created in 1999; it was amended last go-round to include commercial DLs and learner's permits, but the DL renewal requirement has been there for a few years now.

So, think you can get a life sentence on one of these??

[This message was edited by Shannon Edmonds on 06-27-02 at .]