WASHINGTON — Fifteen years after a Tennessee man moved to Maryland and opened a martial arts studio, he was charged for failing to register as a sex offender and for having contact with kids.
Howard County police received a tip that the owner of Leverage Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Fulton, Maryland, was an unregistered sex offender, said Sherry Llewellyn with the police department.
Scott Naugle, 44, Laurel, is now facing two counts related to his failure to register when he moved to Maryland. He was convicted of sexual battery of a child in 2003 in Tennessee in the early days of the digital sex offender registry. It’s unlikely someone could skirt the National Sex Offender Registry today, Llewellyn said.
“These sex offenders are required to re-register. Some of them every three months. The moment that one of them does not check in and appropriately register, a warrant is issued for their arrest,” she said of the way the system works now.
And as the owner of the martial arts studio, investigators said he had access to minors, whom he is restricted from interacting with.
Naugle was ordered to register as a sex offender for life as part of his sentence, according to Howard County police.
“To date, police have not received any allegations of sexual misconduct involving Naugle in Howard County,” police said.
however police ask that anyone who may have been a victim of Naugle or has knowledge that anyone fell victim to him is asked to contact police at 410-313-STOP or send an email to HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov.
