Kentucky man connected to killing of child arrested in Central Florida as White House weighs in

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A Kentucky man who was accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old but was found not guilty by reason of insanity has been arrested in Florida, sheriff’s officials said Thursday.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said Ronald Exantus, 42, stood trial in the 2015 stabbing death of 6-year-old Logan Tipton in Versailles, Kentucky.

CBS affiliate WKYT-TV in Kentucky reported that Exantus was found not guilty in Tipton’s death by reason of insanity.

[VIDEO BELOW: Sheriff’s official discusses arrest in Florida]

Exantus was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2018, however, for attacks on the child’s father and sisters, the TV station reported.

Exantus was released on parole earlier this month, over seven years into his sentence for the attacks on the boy’s family members, according to online records.

The issue gained traction earlier this month when White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted about Exantus’ case.

In her post on X, Leavitt responded to a news story discussing Exantus’ release from prison on parole after serving less than half of his 20-year sentence.

On Thursday afternoon, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier discussed the issue further, announcing that Exantus had been discovered in Florida after his release.

“My office is working with the State Attorney Gladson’s office in Marion County since we were alerted that this dangerous individual who murdered a child by repeatedly stabbing him in the head was in Florida,” Uthmeier wrote.

Afterward, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Exantus had relocated to the area from Kentucky, and he was found at 14790 SW 43rd Terrace in Marion Oaks.

“The home he was residing in was immediately adjacent to Sunrise Elementary School and just a few blocks away from Horizon Academy,” deputies said.

Investigators added that Exantus was taken into custody on a charge of failing to register as a convicted felon within 48 hours, which is required by law. He was being held without bond.

“I am proud of the quick response by my deputies and the inter-agency teamwork that helped locate and arrest this disgusting individual,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said. “The fact that he was living right next to an elementary school is even more repulsive.”

Marion County Public Schools issued a statement about Exantus’ arrest, saying it is working with the sheriff’s office to “protect and keep our schools safe.”

“As concerning as this arrest is, this remains a law enforcement matter. However, additional safety personnel will be on campuses (Friday) to reassure safety as our top priority,” MCPS said in the statement.

During a news conference Friday morning, Lt. Paul Bloom said the sheriff’s office hoped that Exantus would be found in violation of probation and would be sent back to Kentucky.

”When we learned he was coming to Florida, potentially, through intelligence channels, we were curious. All of Florida was on alert, and why he chose Marion County? I don’t know, maybe because he has family here, but for us, yes, we sprung into action and took quick action and once he failed to register, we worked closely with State Attorney Bill Gladson and his team. They were able to obtain a warrant for his arrest and put him in handcuffs quickly,“ Bloom said. ”(...) From what we can tell, his probation did not specifically prohibit him from being next to a school or children and in our opinion, that’s unfortunate as well. If you have murdered a child, why would you be allowed to be around children again the rest of your life? But, not our decision."

Bloom confirmed that Exantus’ arrest report states he checked in with the Department of Corrections but failed to register as a felon with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

”He was told by the Department of Corrections, they’re given a form that’s printed out in whatever language you speak and he is given that and was told, ‘You have 48 hours to register at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office,’ and we have felons that come here and register every single day of the week, so they know that, they’re told this, he just willfully flaunted that," Bloom said.

Watch the news conference again in the video player below or by clicking here.