HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. – A game of hide-and-seek ended Tuesday when detectives tracked down a convicted sexual offender who had been living quietly in Weeki Wachee after fleeing Texas. John Earnest Collier Jr., 61, was taken into custody on March 24, 2026, after authorities discovered he had been ignoring registration laws since arriving in Florida early this year.
The investigation kicked off when the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that Collier was staying at a local residence. Detective Marcacci ran a background check through national crime databases, which immediately flagged two active felony warrants out of Polk County, Texas.
Those warrants were issued for parole violations stemming from serious original charges: the aggravated sexual assault of a child and a previous failure to register as a sex offender.
Working alongside the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, local detectives moved in to make the arrest. Collier didn’t try to deny his status.
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During questioning, he admitted he knew he had violated his parole in Texas and decided to bolt. He also confessed that he was well aware of the laws requiring him to register in Florida, but had lived in Weeki Wachee since January without ever notifying the state.
Collier has a long history with the justice system, having served about 18 years in prison for a 2008 conviction involving a child victim. Now, he faces a new charge in Florida for failing to register as a sexual offender within 48 hours of moving.
“The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to aggressively monitoring sexual offenders and predators within our community,” the department stated following the arrest. “Compliance with registration and reporting requirements is not optional. Those who choose to violate the law will be located and held accountable.”
Collier is currently being held at the local jail without bond as he awaits the next steps in his legal process.
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