A Minnesota man is in the Marshall County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond for felony charges of failure to appear multiple times on a sex offender registration violation.
Captain Jeff Snyder with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department oversees the Sex Offender Registry and brought a case against Peter James Deegan, 46, who was living at the Economy Inn since May 2019. Deegan is a registered sex offender through Minnesota having been convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct, 3rd degree, and is required to register until November 2036.
On November 3, 2019, Peter Deegan was arrested by Plymouth Police for criminal trespass and released from jail on November 5th, 2019. At the time of his release, he was reminded of the requirement to register within 72 hours of his release. He signed and dated the release at the jail and provided his address as 2535 North Michigan Street, the Economy Inn.
By November 12th he failed to register and Captain Snyder called the phone number provided by Deegan but there was no answer or voicemail. On November 13th the Captain called again and the phone said the number was not in service.
Snyder went to the Economy Inn and learned that Peter Deegan had moved out of the motel on November 6th. The Offender Watch program shows that Deegan has not registered a new address in any jurisdiction.
Further investigation of Peter Deegan’s criminal history showed a prior conviction through Virginia for a registration violation. In November 2019 a warrant was issued for Deegan’s arrest through Marshall County. He was arrested in Minnesota and extradited to Indiana in December 2020. In September 2021 Deegan posted a cash bond and was released with his case still pending.
Once released from jail he was again required to register within 72 hours, he did, showing he was living at the Economy Inn and working at Oasis but when terminated in October 2021 he failed to report that change.
In addition to the pending case for failure to register with a prior conviction, Deegan accumulated five pending criminal cases in Marshall County Superior Court II. He was scheduled to appear for a plea hearing on March 2, 2022, but failed to do so.
A warrant was again issued for the arrest of Peter Deegan on March 7, 2022. He was recently arrested in California and extradited to Indiana for the charges in Marshall County.
Readers are reminded that charging information supported by an affidavit of probable cause is merely an allegation that a crime has been committed and that there is only probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. They are presumed innocent throughout the proceedings and are entitled to be represented by counsel and entitled to a trial jury at which the State is obligated to provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt before a judgment of guilt may be made.
