Volusia County residents mistakenly get text alert about sex offender moving in nearby

Text should have only been sent to certain DeLand residents

Parker Lee Sharpley (Volusia County Sheriff's Office)

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Many Volusia County residents received a text alert Tuesday afternoon telling them that a sex offender had moved in nearby but for most of them, that wasn’t actually the case.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the message about Parker Lee Sharpley, 37, should have only been sent to those who live within 1,000 feet of his new address, which is 1450 2nd Ave. in DeLand.

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Those who received the alert in error got a follow-up message clarifying the information. The sheriff’s office also posted the correction on its Facebook and Twitter pages.

“Volusia County residents: You may have just gotten a text saying a sexual predator moved within 1,000 feet of your residence. That message was sent in error to ALL users. You should be getting a follow up message shortly. Sorry for the error,” the post read.

Records show Sharpley was convicted of aggravated sexual battery on a minor and abduction in Virginia in 2004.

A list of sexual offenders living in Volusia County is available here. To sign up for alerts, click here.


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