CASPER, Wyo. — A Natrona County man was arrested and charged twice within a month for failure to register as a sex offender, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Natrona County Sheriff’s Office deputies and close contacts reportedly told the man repeatedly that he could not stay at his mother’s house, which was directly across the street from an elementary school in Evansville. Meanwhile, front desk staff at the school reportedly kept a log of the man’s appearances in the front yard, as well as the people he met with and the times he came and went, often on a bike or on foot with his girlfriend. They reportedly nicknamed him “Satchel” or “Satch,” for the pack he carried, and called his companion “Tina,” according to the affidavit. Town police told the deputies the suspect was known to gamble at the Flying J.
Dustin Roy Dixon, 60, was last charged on Monday, May 18, and said he’d likely be unable to post the $15,000 cash or surety bond on the second of the same offense within a month.
He is presumed innocent unless found or pleading guilty.
Dixon’s registry with the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office shows a 1988 conviction for immoral or indecent acts as defined in a defunct statute.
In February, Deputy Adam Diehl got word from the state attorney general that Dixon had never checked in after being released from prison and was believed to be in Natrona County. On March 26, Diehl contacted Dixon at his mother’s house and told him that he couldn’t stay at the house, which was 50 feet away from a school, and that he needed to come fill out a packet.
Dixon reportedly came back on April 2 to get his fingerprints done and gave a vague description of his residence at a friend’s house near a Loaf N’ Jug. The affidavit said Dixon said he understood that he could visit his mother but could not stay there.
Dixon reportedly changed his address to “transient” and had to check in weekly.
Diehl drove by a few times throughout early April. School staff said they saw Dixon almost everyday around 7 a.m. on the front porch with a cigarette or a pipe. On Tuesday, April 21, Dixon came out while Diehl was with staff and confronted him. Dixon reportedly couldn’t say where he’d stayed the night before, and was arrested.
His clothes and suitcases were reportedly present in the home, and his mother and girlfriend both agreed Dixon stayed there “most nights,” though they couldn’t be sure because they were always first to go to bed.
Another Evansville resident was able to help Dixon post a $5,000 cash or surety bond, and the school staff said Dixon returned immediately. Diehl reportedly saw him out in the yard on almost every pass-by between April 28 and May 13, the affidavit said.
Meanwhile, the front desk kept a log of “Satch” and “Tina” sightings. Dixon reportedly left with his fiancée and a metal detector on Thursday, April 30. Staff also noted Dixon meeting at the fence with people who rode up on bicycles.
Diehl spoke to some of those people, including the man who’d helped Dixon post bond. The man said Dixon knew what he was doing and planned to continue and just claim he’d slept somewhere else if asked.
Diehl reportedly found Dixon in the yard and asked him where he stayed the night before. Dixon reportedly said, “mostly right down over here, I can show you,” pointing toward the river.
Diehl said he asked Dixon to show him where, so Dixon got in the truck and they went across the river on Veterans Road before he said to pull off on Metro Road. Dixon led Diehl down a steep embankment and through reeds. Diehl said the spot would be good for camping, but noted the grass was “pristine” and there was no evidence of anything having been disturbed prior to their arrival.
Dixon then reportedly pointed to a tree about 600 yards away and they drove to the tree, got out and walked down a sandy two-track road. Diehl said Dixon pointed out tracks that didn’t match his shoes and possible camping places that appeared undisturbed.
They then returned to the mother’s address, where Diehl said the clothes and suitcases were in the same place they were before, according to the affidavit.
Dixon was arrested and charged with failure to register.
Bond was set at $15,000 cash or surety. In court, Dixon said his mother was 85 years old and he was acting as her caretaker. A family member in the affidavit said she thought he was taking advantage of the situation.
