Federal and state law enforcement authorities in South Dakota are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a convicted sex offender whose whereabouts have been unknown since 2008.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service, 46 year old Benjermin Kelley (a/k/a Benjamin Kelley) is from the Sioux Falls and Madison areas and was convicted of Sexual Contact with a Child Under Sixteen in Lake County in 1999. He has lived at locations that include Sioux Falls, rural Lake County and rural Clay County. Kelley last registered as a sex offender in Clay County in 2008.
Attorney General Marty Jackley says investigators believe Kelley is still living in a rural part of South Dakota and authorities are asking for the public’s help to find him.
U.S. Marshal for South Dakota Dan Saterlee says the state has one of the lowest non-compliant sex offender rates in the nation. He says this is the direct result of diligent monitoring and investigation of non-compliant sex offenders accomplished through the partnership of the South Dakota DCI Sex Offender Registry and the U.S. Marshals Service.
People with knowledge of Kelley’s whereabouts should not approach the suspect themselves. Instead, they can submit a confidential tip by:
- emailing usmstips@usdoj.gov;
- by contacting the U.S. Marshals (USMS) 24-hour tip line at 1-877-WANTED2 (926-8332); or
- by contacting their local law enforcement agency.
South Dakota law requires convicted Sex Offenders to notify their current registering agency that they are moving and register with the new jurisdiction within three business days. They are also required to register in person every six months, during their birth months and six months after.
Currently, there are 4,110 registered sex offenders on the state’s Sexual Offender Registry. The registry can be found here: https://sor.sd.gov/.
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