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Sex offender, fair booth operator arrested again

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Posted at 12:26 PM, May 16, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-16 21:26:08-04

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A sex offender who failed to appear for a March 21 court hearing was arrested Sunday.

A bench warrant was issued for James Raymond Tennant. The 45-year-old is accused of using a fake name in order to operate a game booth at the Southwest Florida & Lee County fair, in violation of the terms of his release.

An independent contractor hired Tennant, who had applied under the name "James Martino," to run a rented booth at the fair.

A full background check was not performed as the Martino name did not listed in the sex offender registry.

In late February, an anonymous tip alerted authorities that Tennant was working at the fair. Investigators arrested Tennant on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender.

Bond on the latest arrest has not been set.