A Central Florida man was sentenced for a sex offender violation after failing to register a vehicle with law enforcement.
An Osceola County jury found 44-year-old Jeremy Dewitte guilty of Sex Offender Failure to Register (Motor Vehicle Information), which is a sexual offender violation after he neglected to register a vehicle with law enforcement.
Dewitte has been convicted of 12 crimes of dishonesty including multiple convictions of impersonating a police officer. He is also a convicted sexual offender and is required by law to register any new vehicle he acquires or any changes in vehicles he owns or has access to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) by reporting in-person to the local sheriff’s office within 48 hours of the change in vehicle.
On November 29, 2022, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at Dewitte’s residence in the 2400 block of Accord Terrace in Kissimmee to serve an arrest warrant for a probation violation and take him into custody. They observed a black Dodge Charger in his driveway, which his probation officer confirmed was Dewitte’s vehicle.
Upon investigation, deputies discovered Dewitte had purchased the vehicle on October 10, 2022, but had not registered it with law enforcement as required. Deputies took Dewitte into custody for the original violation and initiated an investigation into his failure to register the vehicle.
During his trial, Dewitte’s defense team argued he did not know about the requirement to register the vehicle with FDLE but then noted the defendant initially registered the vehicle as a multi-colored car.
However, the law mandates that convicted sex offenders must register any vehicle modification, including color changes, with FDLE within 48 hours of the change. Dewitte failed to meet this requirement.
After a two-day trial, Jeremy Dewitte was found guilty of Sex Offender Failure to Register (Motor Vehicle Information). The statutory maximum penalty for this conviction is five years in prison. However, the judge sentenced Dewitte to nearly seven years in prison because of his previous convictions.
