U.S. Marshals are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a Florida registered sex predator who vanished after being released from state prison March 1 and failing to register his address with the St. Lucie County Jail.
Ernest Eugene Reigh was last seen in Fort Pierce, Florida, but officials believe he may be in North Carolina, or on his way to Pennsylvania, where he has relatives.
Reigh’s criminal record includes the sexual assault of a girl under 12 years old in St. Lucie County in 1995. She was a Southport Middle School student at the time.
Reigh worked as an assistant in the mid 1990s at the St. Lucie County Jail, but was suspended in March 1995 after the middle school student told investigators he had forced her to perform sexual acts for about two years.
(St. Lucie County deputies are keeping an eye out for a 65-year-old man they say is a “sexually violent predator” that may be headed to PA. Courtesy of WPTV News and YouTube. Posted on Mar 22, 2017.)
In 1996 Reigh was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts and sentenced to state prison.
A month later he admitted he had lied during trial when he said he was falsely accused.
Around that time he also admitted to selling a machine gun for $500 prior to his arrest. He was found guilty of perjury, adding an additional year to his sentence.
After his release from prison, he was dropped off at the Greyhound bus stop, in the 7100 block of Okeechobee Road, Fort Pierce.
His address was supposed to be in the 100 block of South U.S. 1, Fort Pierce.
Reigh failed to report to the Federal Probation Office and to register his address with the St. Lucie County Jail.
Detectives have been unable to locate him and are now asking for the public’s help.
Reigh is considered a wanted absconded sexual predator with a history of carrying firearms.
He is bald and has blue eyes. He is about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds.
Do Not Approach. If you see him or have information concerning Reigh’s location – Please contact Deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher Crotty at (305) 710-7395 or Task Force Officer John Brady at (954) 707-2457.
The U.S. Marshals’ reward is for information leading directly to Reigh’s arrest.
Additional reward money from other sources may also be available.
The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s primary fugitive hunting organization and captures more federal fugitives each year than all other law enforcement agencies combined.
Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all federal fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal agencies combined.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency
