Pike County Sheriff Updates Recent Sex Offender Registry Violation Arrests

By Jeremy Coumbes on October 25, 2024 at 8:04pm

A West Central Illinois Sheriff says his department will continue to rigorously investigate all violations of the Illinois Sex Offender Registry Act after he announced a number of arrests and convictions this morning.

Pike Sheriff David Greenwood updated the public on the statuses of five individuals who had been arrested for violating the registry dating back to late last year. Two of the individuals have already been sentenced to serve time in state prison.

64-year-old Robert Wayne Niffen of Pleasant Hill was sentenced in Pike County Circuit Court this week following his arrest for failing to register as a sex offender back in October.

Niffen was on federal probation for sex offender registration violations at the time of his arrest, and after a bench trial in August, he was sentenced yesterday to serve five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

In August of this year, 39-year-old John Crull of Griggsville pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender following his arrest in December of last year. He was also sentenced to serve five years in the Department of Corrections.

Three other accused registry violators are scheduled to appear in court in Pike County before the end of the year.

45-year-old Christopher A. Ellinger of Griggsville was arrested in December for failing to register as a sex offender. He is next due in court on Tuesday of next week.

29 year old Patrick T.D. Cantwell of Pleasant Hill was arrested in May and will next be in Pike County Court on December 3rd for failing to register.

And on August 1st of this year, 21-year-old Jeremy B. Vogel, no address information provided, was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender. Vogel is next due in court on November 19th.