PEORIA, Ill. - The grand jury yesterday returned an indictment that charges David W. Morlan, 66, of Danville, Ill., with failure to register and update his address as required by the federal Sex Offender Notification and Registration Act (SORNA.)
The indictment against Morlan alleges that from June to December 2020, Morlan, a convicted sex offender, failed to update his registration. Morlan was arrested on Jan. 8, 2021, and charged in a criminal complaint. The affidavit filed in support of the complaint alleges that Morlan was convicted in Vermilion County, Ill., in September 2006, for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor, a five-year-old victim. Further, the indictment alleges that Morlan, who had registered his address in Indiana, was living in Danville, Ill., but had not updated his registration.
During a court appearance on Jan. 13, 2021. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, in Urbana, Morlan was ordered to remain detained in U.S. Marshals Service custody.
If convicted, the penalty for violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is up to 10 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson is representing the government in the prosecution which was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Danville Police Department.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
