Contributed Photo/Courtesy GCSO: Michael Hughes is a sex offender from Pima County who officials say was avoiding registering after moving to the Safford area.
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – A registered sex offender from Pima County apparently attempted to circumvent registering in Graham County and was taken into custody Friday because of it.
Michael Kurt Hughes, 50, was arrested and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility for a sexual offender registration violation and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Officers were given a tip that Hughes was staying at a residence near Vine lane and Montierth Lane and that he was an unregistered sex offender.
Initially, officers were not given any sex offender information from Graham County Dispatch regarding Hughes and he didn’t have any active warrants.
However, a Graham County deputy contacted officials in Pima County and learned that Hughes was indeed a sex offender and that his registration had been suspended because he was supposed to move to Texas. However, Hughes moved just outside the Safford area instead and had been avoiding sex offender registration.
Hughes was then taken into custody and was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia.
