Festus, MO – A Festus man has been charged for the third time with failing to register as a sex offender, according to court documents filed by the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Lionel Peterson, age 44, of Festus, MO is accused of violating Missouri law by failing to update his registration with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office between March 12 and June 26 of this year, despite being legally required to do so within 90 days of his last registration.

Peterson was previously convicted of child molestation in the first degree in Franklin County on July 23, 2013. He has two prior convictions for failing to register as a sex offender — once in Franklin County in 2014 and again in Jefferson County in 2024, according to court records.

Missouri law mandates a minimum sentence of two years in prison for a third offense of failing to register, along with electronic monitoring as a condition of supervision if convicted.

Peterson faces an unclassified felony charge under state statute and is being prosecuted in Division III of the 23rd Judicial Circuit.

Paul Barnard Editor

Paul Barnard is the editor of the Twin City News. Barnard Graduated from Norwich University, America's oldest private military college, with a B.S. in Communications and Media Technology. There he studied journalism and marketing. For years after, Barnard was in law enforcement and gained experience in the Special Investigations Unit and publishing all the department's press releases. As Barnard's family grew, he moved on to start Twin City News.

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