Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – May 31, 2024 – For Craighead County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mandi McDaniel, keeping sex offenders in line has its reward.

McDaniel has been in charge of making sure sex offenders are registered in the unincorporated areas of Craighead County since April 2023. Currently, there are 57 sex offenders in her jurisdiction.

“I like (my job) because normally victims don’t have a voice, and I like being that voice,” McDaniel said.

Her job is to see that sex offenders are in compliance on reporting where they live, that they have a job, what kind of vehicle they drive, and that, if required, they don’t have access to the internet.

Level 3 and 4 sex offenders must notify their neighbors that they are living near them, she said. Municipalities with police department keep track of the sex offenders who live in their jurisdiction, McDaniel said.

McDaniel joined the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office in 2017 as a detention officer, she said. Besides her work with sex offenders, McDaniel also works in the Patrol Division.

One case from last October is one that McDaniel remembers well. Donald Christiansen was arrested Oct. 6 and was charged with being a registered sex offender living near the victim or having contact with the victim, and felony tampering with physical evidence.

When Christiansen was handcuffed for the warrant, which was issued for being in contact with the victim, who was 10 years old at the time of the offense, he said, “I thought I could because she is 18 now.”

A search of Christiansen’s residence turned up a shrine to the victim, including hair, a child’s drawing, and a movie ticket stub from 2015 when the assaults occurred. McDaniel said she contacted the victim to tell her of the arrest and said she was relieved that he had been caught.

McDaniel attends yearly conferences to keep updated for her work. She also attends classes with other law enforcement officers.