(Stillwater, Okla.) — A convicted sex offender, who was arrested by Cushing Police Officer Alex Gegen, was released from the Payne County Jail Friday on $10,000 bail pending a court appearance on Wednesday on a felony charge of failing to comply with registration requirements.
Thomas Lee Mays, 31, who got out of prison five months ago, listed an address in Agra when he posted bond, court records show.
Due to his criminal record, Mays could be imprisoned for four years to life if convicted of violating the Sex Offender Registration Act, according to the charge filed by Payne County Assistant District Attorney Debra Vincent last week.
The Cushing officer was notified on Feb. 5 by records keeper Susan Dooley “she had received information from Payne County District Office that Thomas Mays had been staying at a residence in Cushing,” Gegen alleged in his affidavit.
“Dooley informed me that Mays was a sex offender and had not registered in Cushing as a sex offender. Dooley stated he was registered in Agra, Lincoln County,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
When two Cushing officers went to a house on Greenlee Street to ask if Mays was living there, the homeowner replied, “Yes, for about two months,” the affidavit alleged.
After Mays came out of the house, “I asked Mays how long he has been at the residence,” the Cushing officer wrote in his affidavit.
“Mays stated that he did not live there but he was there during the day,” to take care of a relative, the affidavit alleged.
“He stated that he lived in Agra, but would walk to the residence to take care (of his relative), and then would go back to Agra at night,” the affidavit alleged.
Another man,”stated that Mays and he had come over to the house at the same time and they were staying in the residence together with about six other people,” the affidavit alleged.
When Mays was asked again how long he had been there, “Mays stated he had been at the house for at least a month,” the affidavit alleged.
“He said that he would go back to Agra every once in a while…Mays was asked why he has not registered as a sex offender. Mays stated that he did not know what he had to do to register,” the affidavit alleged.
According to state Department of Corrections records, Mays had been convicted of:
* unauthorized use of a vehicle in Creek County in 2005 for which he was sentenced in 2007 to a two-year prison term of which he served about half;
* drug possession in Payne County in 2009 for which he was sentenced in 2011 to two years and 11 months of which he served about seven months;
* indecent exposure in Payne County in 2011 for which he was sentenced in 2011 to a concurrent three years in prison of which he served about seven months;
* indecent exposure in Payne County in 2011 for which he was sentenced in 2011 to a seven-year prison term of which he served two years between 2015 and 2017;
* failure to register as a sex offender in Lincoln County in 2013 for which he was sentenced in 2015 to a consecutive five-years prison term of which he served one year and five months prior to his release in September 2018.
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