Sex offender arrested for trespass

Published 6:46 am Thursday, February 16, 2012

A registered sex offender bonded out of the Troy City Jail Wednesday afternoon after being arrested for violating a no-trespass order given by Troy University Police back in the fall.

Anthony Lataris Duncan, 40, was arrested Wednesday in front of Bibb Graves Hall on campus when University Police recognized the man. According to Chief John McCall, further investigation into Duncan’s identity will likely result in him being arrested again on two possible felony charges.

Anthony Duncan

Sign up for our daily email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

McCall said Duncan was provided as a worker by a temp agency hired by the university during the fall semester. A female student was approached by Duncan and made to feel uncomfortable, so she reported the interaction to University Police.

“We called him in and told him that his actions were unacceptable,” McCall said.  “As soon as he walked out of our office, we ran a background check on the man and found rape and drug charges.”

McCall said that’s when the university fired Duncan and issued a no-trespass order. The university also fired the temp agency for failing to issue a background check for Duncan.

“We found him on campus today, standing in front of a building,” McCall said, adding that Duncan was apparently on property to visit a family member.

After Wednesday’s arrest, McCall said he found out that Duncan was a registered sex offender. He is now seeking a felony warrant for Duncan’s arrest through the district attorney’s office because he shouldn’t have been on a school campus.

There is a possibility the Pike County Sheriff’s Office will also obtain a felony warrant on Duncan for failing to report a change of address. He is registered at an address outside of Troy, but gave campus police an address very near Head Start in Troy.

“If that address is correct,” McCall said, “he’s not where he’s supposed to be living and he’s too close to Head Start.”

According to the Pike County Circuit Clerk’s office, Duncan pleaded guilty and was convicted of a misdemeanor sexual misconduct charge in 2007. He was originally arrested in that case for second-degree rape in 2006. Duncan also has convictions for robbery and possession of cocaine.

Other police records indicate Duncan was also a suspect in 2001 and 2006 rape cases.

“I am just glad we saw him,” McCall said.

New warrants for Duncan’s arrest had not been issued as of the newspaper’s deadline.