A Colbert County man has been charged for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and United States Marshal Martin Keely announced the charge against Michael Shane McDaniel, 56, of Plainfield, Indiana.
A one-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court alleges that McDaniel failed to register or update his registration as required by SORNA. McDaniel, previously convicted of child molestation in the Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis, Indiana, was required to register as a sex offender. According to the indictment, McDaniel traveled from Indiana to Alabama and did not fulfill his registration duties, leading to his arrest on April 16, 2025, in Colbert County, Alabama. McDaniel is being held in federal custody.
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which implemented SORNA, requires convicted individuals to register in the national sex offender registry. Failure to register when crossing state boundaries is a federal felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The U.S. Marshals Service for the Northern District of Alabama led the investigation, collaborating with several law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service for the Southern District of Indiana, the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Hendricks County Indiana Sheriff's Office, and the Colbert County Alabama Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and support victims. Information on Project Safe Childhood is available online at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
It is important to highlight that an indictment includes only charges, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
