Sex offender failing to register in St. George now facing charges related to ‘DarkNet’ photos

File photo courtesy of the Utah Attorney General's Office, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A man with an extensive criminal history dating back more than a decade in Nevada is in jail for reportedly failing to register as a sex offender in Utah.

Photo array of John Winward, 49, as posted on the Nevada Sex Offender Registry in Clark County, Nev., between April and August 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Nevada Department of Corrections, St. George News

The man also faces a second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor charge after investigators allegedly found videos on his cellphone depicting adults sexually abusing children as young as 8.

On March 12, officers responded to a disorderly call at a convenience store on St. George Boulevard shortly after 1 a.m. They arrived to find a man matching the description of the suspect crossing the street heading north near 900 South and St. George Boulevard.

While speaking to the suspect, later identified as Michael John Winward, 49, of Las Vegas, Nevada, officers suspected the man was intoxicated from the strong odor of alcohol. Additionally, Winward was drinking alcohol from a cup at the time he encountered police, according to charging documents filed in 5th District Court.

During a background check, officers learned Winward was a registered sex offender flagged as being non-compliant on the Nevada Sex Offender Registry.

While speaking to police, the suspect said he had been living at a St. George motel for the past three months. When asked, the suspect told officers he was aware he was required to notify the St. George Police Department to update his information on the sexual offender registry as soon as he arrived in Utah. He also said he knew he “was in big trouble” for failing to do so, the officer wrote.

The arrest and cell phone analysis

Stock image of Purgatory Correctional Facility | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Winward was arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing a third-degree felony count of failing to register as a sex offender. Officers also recovered the suspect’s cell phone and obtained a warrant to have the device forensically analyzed.

The analysis was completed less than two weeks later. Investigators found multiple images of children as young as 8 being sexually abused by adults, including one entitled “DarkNet Access,” the investigator noted in the report.

The analysis also indicated that Winward had downloaded several social media applications — activity that was not reported to officials in either Utah or Nevada, as he was required to do under the terms of his parole.

On Monday, investigators went to the jail in Washington County to interview Winward. He reportedly told detectives he was unaware there were any such photos on his cell phone. He added that someone must have hacked his phone when he was using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection.

Following the interview, Winward was charged with two second-degree felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and another third-degree felony count of failing to register as a sex offender.

Two cases filed in Nevada

Winward has been required to register as a sex offender since 2010 when he was convicted of two felony crimes, including lewdness in front of a child and attempted sexual assault of a minor.

Screenshot of Micheal John Winward, 49, showing he is non-compliant on the Nevada Sex Offender Registry, photo taken in Clark County, Nev., on July 7, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Nevada Department of Corrections, St. George News

The following year, Winward appeared for sentencing on the two charges and the prison term of up to 96 months was suspended. The defendant was sentenced to one year in the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas and was placed on house arrest for one year. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

Less than five years later, in 2016, he was convicted of sexually motivated coercion with deadly force and second-degree felony kidnapping and sentenced to 60-150 months in High Desert State Prison in Nevada, according to court documents filed in the 8th Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada.

The defendant was released in August 2021, then returned to prison after violating his parole later that same year. In April 2022, he was released from prison in Nevada. Less than a year later, he was arrested in St. George facing new felony charges where he remains in custody in Washington County without bail.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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