Law enforcement officers with the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Department of Corrections and the U.S. Marshals Service conducted an operation Monday morning to verify compliance of registered sex offenders living in Pearl River County.

Sheriff David Allison said there are currently 118 registered sex offenders living in the county. The operation began with agents being assigned to teams before heading to a home listed as the residence on the sex offender’s file.

Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said the local department conducts these operations periodically to ensure the person is living where they say they are.

If a sex offender is determined to not live at the address provided, a warrant for their arrest is issued and that person could receive a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

By press time, Tucker said no arrests were made as a result of Monday’s operation. But during Monday’s operation, Tucker, along with the accompanying officers, attempted to serve a warrant on Richard Schmidt, 30, at a home on Jeff Wheat Road. Tucker said the warrant was issued after Schmidt relocated to Pearl River County from St. Tammany Parish, La. and failed to register as a sex offender.

However, while Schmidt was being taken into custody, he allegedly suffered two seizures, leading the officers to request medical assistance from AAA Ambulance Service. Afterwards, Schmidt was taken to Highland Community Hospital for further examination. Once released, Schmidt will be arrested for the warrant.

“The U.S. Marshalls Service always works with local law enforcement agencies and this is one of the many opportunities where we have the chance to help them out,” Tucker said.