An Elkmont man remained jailed Monday afternoon in Limestone County after being arrested for violating the state Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer.

Limestone County Sheriff’s Investigator Anthony Bruno arrested Manuel Theodore Martinez, 39, of 23688 Norman Lane, on the felony SORNA charge Nov. 27. The investigator obtained a warrant for Martinez after he failed to attend his quarterly registration meeting, a requirement under state law, Bruno said Monday. Deputy Justin Smith also charged Martinez with attempting to elude.

Bail is set at $16,000 on the charges. No court date has been scheduled on the SORNA violation but the court date for attempting to elude is Jan. 16, 2020.

History

Martinez was first ordered to register as a convicted sex offender in April 2012 following his 2010 conviction for first-degree sexual abuse. He was found guilty of fondling a 24-year-old Athens convenience store employee in June 2009, according to The News Courier and court records.

An investigator told The News Courier at the time of Martinez’s initial arrest the woman knew Martinez but did not have a relationship with him.

Under Alabama law, a person commits the crime of first-degree sexual abuse if he subjects a person to sexual contact by forcible compulsion or he subjects a person to sexual contact who is incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless or mentally incapacitated.