A convicted sex offender who was taken into custody on Tuesday in Tyrone served 10 years in jail for a conviction on charges he abused a six-year-old Altoona girl in 1994.
A check of the Megan’s Law Web site showed 36-year-old Jack Edward Renninger had been convicted of aggravated indecent assault in 1995. Court records confirmed he was convicted on five different charges in the same case after a jury trial.
Blair County court records showed Renninger was charged with several crimes involving a young girl which happened at a house in Altoona between January and March of 1994. Both Renninger and the girl lived at the house but court records indicated they were not related to each other. Testimony in the case showed there were at least two instances of abuse.
Renninger was found guilty of two aggravated indecent assault charges related to age and consent and two indecent assault charges related to age and consent. He was also convicted of a corruption of minors charge. Testimony in the case showed Renninger had shown pornographic videos to the girl in addition to the abuse.
On Tuesday, authorities questioned Renninger in the downtown parking lot of the Tyrone-Snyder Public Library shortly before noon. Police had acted on anonymous tips regarding suspicious activity by Renninger in and around the library.
Authorities were able to determine that there was a warrant for him because he had allegedly violated his parole and probation after serving a prison term which ended on June 30, 2004. Later during the investigation, police also determined Renninger had allegedly failed to notify the state’s Megan’s Law unit he had moved from Newton-Hamilton, Mifflin County to Mount Union sometime last year.
Tyrone Police Chief Joseph Beachem said police were alerted about Renninger by two callers who said he had been sleeping in his car in the library parking lot for a period of several days. Renninger had also entered the library on several occasions and had used the Internet on more than one occasion, according to police information.
Beachem said the man gave multiple answers to questions about where he lived.
Beachem explained Renninger’s car was registered to an address in Newton-Hamilton. However, during questioning Renninger said he was from Mt. Union. At another point, Renninger indicated he was homeless and had been sleeping in his vehicle which he claimed wasn’t working. Beachem said police were able to start the vehicle which was towed from behind the library to the municipal parking lot across the street from the Tyrone Police Department.
Tyrone police worked with Lewistown-based state police and investigators found Renninger had failed to notify the Megan’s Law unit of a change of address within the allotted time under the law. Convicted sex offenders released back into society are required to register their address and keep authorities updated on any changes.
Chief Beachem told The Daily Herald yesterday Renninger could have been charged with failure to register a change of address regarding his arrival in this area. However, he wasn’t charged since police were unable to determine if he had been here for at least 10 days. According to Beachem, sex offenders are allowed the 10-day period to register when they arrive in a new town.
The failure to notify and parole violation were enough to hold Renninger without any new charges being filled against him. Beachem said Renninger was taken to Blair County Prison after processing at the Tyrone Police station.
Beachem explained there was a concern for children in the area with Renninger spending time in a public library which is frequented by young people. He also said there was some concern about the ex-convict’s computer activities due to the anonymous nature of the Internet and the further anonymity provided by using a public terminal.
Yesterday, Beachem said the investigation into Renninger’s activities in the Tyrone area was still ongoing. He was unavailable this morning for an update on the case.
A spokesperson for the state’s probation and parole board, LeAnn Halfast, said Renninger is entitled to due process of law regarding any alleged parole violation. She was unable to comment on the exact nature of any alleged violation. She compared it to a suspect who is charged with a crime being innocent until proven guilty. Renninger is expected to face a Blair County judge on the alleged parole violation after an investigation is completed.
A Blair county judge had previously ordered him to serve a special probation regarding the corruption of minors charge immediately after his jail sentence ended so he would be supervised. Halfast said Renninger is serving the special probation until June 30, 2007.
After his conviction and sentencing in 1995, he was ordered to serve a state sentence of three to 10 years which was completed last year. Renninger’s sentence was backdated to include time served from June 30, 1994 according to Halfast.
Renninger could also face extradition on his failure to notify officials of a change of address.
