Police arrest sex offender at casino
A Pittsburgh man wanted for failure to register as a sex offender was arrested early Friday by North Strabane Township police after they got a tip he was at The Meadows Casino.
He was wanted by the U.S. Marshals Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force,
Thomas Raymond Hiles, 34, who gave township police a Pittsburgh address but who Pittsburgh police say is homeless, was found about midnight Thursday at the casino.
Township police were called there by state police, who learned that a sexually violent predator with multiple warrants was possibly in the vestibule of the casino.
Police said they found a silver folding knife in Hiles’ pants pocket, and a can of pepper spray fell out of his jacket pocket as he was being arrested.
Pittsburgh police obtained the warrant because Hiles allegedly failed to register with state police within two days of his anniversary date each month as a transient or homeless person. Hiles was reportedly to register between March 21 and 23 to stay within compliance of Megan’s Law requirements. State police notified Pittsburgh police of his failure to register on April 7, and the warrant was obtained April 12.
Hiles pleaded guilty in May 2012 to a charge of indecent assault for touching himself and exposing himself to two 8-year-old girls in 2011.
He was sentenced by a Fayette County judge to six to 23 months in jail. Judge Robert Warman, who was a judge in Fayette at the time, determined Hiles was a sexually violent predator under Megan’s Law and was required to register his address for the rest of his life.
It’s not the first time Hiles has been charged with failure to register. He pleaded guilty in July 2014 in Fayette County after he failed to comply.
Hiles was arraigned before District Judge Joshua Kanalis on charges of failure to register as a sex offender and two counts of possessing instruments of a crime. He was placed in Washington County jail on $60,000 bond. He is set for a preliminary hearing on the township charges May 10 before District Judge Jay Weller.