HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. – A registered sex offender is heading to state prison after failing to report changes to his employment and phone number, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Ronnie Buttram, 53, was adjudicated guilty on July 28 and sentenced to five years with the Florida Department of Corrections. He will be transferred to state custody from the Hernando County Detention Center to serve the term.
The sentence stems from an investigation that began in late 2025. On Nov. 24, 2025, deputies received information that Buttram had failed to report that he was terminated from his job on Oct. 28, 2025. Investigators also learned he was using an unreported phone number.
The following day, Buttram called the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center using the unreported number.
On Dec. 1, 2025, Detective Marcacci met with Buttram at the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, where deputies took him into custody on two felony charges: failure to report a change of phone number within 48 hours and failure to report a change of employment within 48 hours. He was held at the county jail without bond leading up to his sentencing.
Buttram’s reporting requirements date back to a 1994 conviction in Citrus County for sexual assault involving a victim 12 years of age or older, which designated him as a registered sexual offender in Florida.
Authorities ask anyone with additional information related to the case to contact Hernando County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or by dialing TIPS from a mobile phone.
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