Herrick Man Gets Three-Year Prison Term

Herrick resident Franklin Huddlestun has been sentenced to three years in prison.

The 32-year-old Huddlestun was sentenced for failure to register as a sex offender. Huddlestun was convicted of criminal sexual abuse in Fayette County in 2008. He was subsequently convicted of being present as a sex offender at a county fair and within 500 feet of a public park in Fayette County. In 2009, 2013 and 2015, Huddlestun was then convicted for failing to register as a sex offender in Fayette County. He was unsuccessfully terminated from probation in four out of five of his prior Fayette County cases and was sentenced to prison for two years and then three years in 2015.

In the Shelby County case, Huddlestun missed his registration deadline by three days. Huddlestun's attorney argued that probation was appropriate because Huddlestun was generally compliant and was simply mistaken about the registration deadline. The Shelby County State's Attorney's Office recommended an extended prison term because of Huddlestun's prior history of failure to comply with sex offender registration.

Shelby County State's Attorney Nichole Kroncke said, "This is the sixth felony conviction Huddlestun has received for failing to comply with sex offender registry requirements. He earned this prison sentence."