Tammy Curtis, Publisher
A larger-than-usual law enforcement presence was seen in Sharp County last week as Sheriff Shane Russell and his deputies, along with other law enforcement agencies, conducted a three-day sex offender compliance roundup.
Russell said the compliance checks resulted in multiple arrests involving sex offender registration violations, as well as drug, firearm and other offenses.
A total of 10 convicted offenders were arrested and booked into the Sharp County Detention Center on felony charges of failure to register and failure to comply with reporting requirements. One offender also faces drug charges stemming from the compliance checks.
Those arrested were:
Matthew Baldridge, 62, of 28 Quachita Road in Cherokee Village, is classified as a Level 4 sex offender, the highest community notification level. Baldridge was convicted of lewd and lascivious behavior and is classified as a sexually dangerous person.
Donald Jay Wutke, 53, of 111 Glenwood Road in Hardy, is a Level 3 sex offender. He was convicted of sexual abuse involving a 12-year-old child.
Lucas Clute, 23, of Cherokee Village, does not have a final assessment level listed. Clute previously pleaded guilty in Fulton County in March 2024 to possession/transmission of child sexual abuse material. In 2021, he was charged with felony sexual assault in Fulton County. The charge was later reduced to endangering the welfare of a minor. Clute was later revoked for noncompliance with the sentencing order.
Alvin Carroll Moore, 51, of 89 Cherokee Road in Cherokee Village, is a Level 3 sex offender who was convicted of second-degree sexual assault.
Jacky Lee Dalton, 33, of 128 Valley Heart Drive in Highland, is a Level 3 sex offender who was convicted of second-degree sexual assault.
Carl David Walls, 69, of 64 Herron Road in Ash Flat, is a Level 3 sex offender who was convicted of first-degree sexual assault.
Alexander Riddle Armstrong, 33, of 1211 Paradise Acres Road in Horseshoe Bend (at the time of his initial arrest), is a sex offender who was convicted of second-degree sexual assault in February 2024 for assaulting a male with a mental deficiency in Cherokee Village.
No level has been assigned to Armstrong on the county or state registry.
At the time of the compliance check, Armstrong was also charged with possession of less than 4 ounces of a Schedule VI controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, both Class A misdemeanors.
Jeffery Dean King, 46, of 1179 Highway 115 in Smithville, is a Level Three sex offender who was convicted in another state of sexual abuse of a child younger than 16.
Jimmy Sterling Wyatt, 72, of 9 Minnetonka Drive in Cherokee Village, was also arrested. His assessment level was not available.
David Goldman, 57, of 89 Fire Tower Road in Hardy, is a Level Two sex offender who was convicted in 2024 of first-degree sexual assault involving a child between the ages of 9 and 12.
At press time, King and Moore remained incarcerated in the Sharp County Detention Center.
What do the registry levels mean?
Arkansas law requires individuals convicted of certain sex offenses and offenses against children to register with law enforcement. Registration requirements also apply in other circumstances, including to qualifying offenders moving to Arkansas from another jurisdiction.
Registered sex offenders undergo an assessment that determines a community notification level based on factors including criminal and offense history, victim information, behavioral characteristics and other information considered during the assessment process.
The four notification levels determine the extent to which information about an offender is shared with law enforcement and the community.
Level 1 generally requires the lowest level of community notification, typically limited to the offender’s household and local law enforcement.
Level 2 requires broader notification to people or organizations likely to encounter the offender, or to those who fit the offender’s known victim preference.
Level 3 requires notification throughout the community. These offenders typically have histories or characteristics that officials determine warrant broad public notification.
Level 4, the highest notification level, applies to offenders designated as sexually dangerous persons and requires the broadest and most visible form of community notification.
Offenders who fail to participate in the assessment process may be assigned a default Level 3 classification and may be considered for Level 4 designation.
Arkansas requires Level 1, 2 and 3 offenders to appear every six months to verify their addresses, while Level 4 offenders must do so every three months.
All Level 3 and Level 4 offenders are included on Arkansas’ public sex offender registry website. Certain Level 2 offenders are also publicly listed when the offender was 18 or older at the time of the offense and the victim was 14 or younger.
