Attorney General James Uthmeier Sends Violent Criminal back to Kentucky
Courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that Ronald Exantus, 42, was extradited back to Kentucky after being arrested in Florida for violating parole, by failing to register as a convicted felon with the local sheriff’s office.
“Today, this child murderer is on his way back to Kentucky—where he belongs,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “I want to thank Statewide Prosecutor McVay, State Attorney Gladson, Sheriff Woods, and Department of Corrections Secretary Dixon for their vigilance and decisive action. I encourage all violent criminals to stay far away from Florida.”
“In this case, cooperation between the agencies was critical,” said State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit Bill Gladson. “The professionals at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution worked together seamlessly to ensure that this offender was captured and returned to Kentucky.”
“This case and arrest are the perfect example of how the collaborative efforts of our judicial system should work,” said Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods. “This is why the State of Florida is a cut above all others when protecting citizens and the state from true evil in the world.”
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) received information from the Office of Statewide Prosecution and State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit that Exantus had recently relocated from Kentucky to Florida and was possibly residing in Marion County. Members of the MCSO Intel Unit began quickly investigating and confirmed that he was residing in Marion County and had failed to register as a convicted felon.
Deputies responded to 14790 SW 43rd Terrace in Marion Oaks where they located Exantus and arrested him. The home he was residing in was immediately adjacent to Sunrise Elementary School and just a few blocks away from Horizon Academy.
In 2015, Exantus stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton to death in Versailles, Kentucky. A Kentucky jury later found Exantus not guilty by reason of insanity and convicted him of two counts of second-degree assault and one count of fourth-degree assault, for which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. After serving less than half of his sentence, he was placed on parole and released from custody. Exantus failed to register as a felon with the MCSO within 48 hours, as required by law. Exantus was booked into the Marion County Jail and was held with no bond.
In a joint effort by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit Bill Gladson, Florida Department of Corrections, and the Office of Statewide Prosecution, Exantus was extradited back to Kentucky, where he will face the consequences of failing to maintain the terms of his early release.
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