A convicted sex offender who fled Hernando County after removing his GPS ankle monitor has been sentenced to four years in the Florida Department of Corrections, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) announced Monday.
Stephen Edward Wynn, 57, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service near Atlanta, Georgia, after absconding from his Brooksville residence in August 2024. He was arrested for failure to comply with sex offender reporting requirements but was released from custody two days later. The day after his release, authorities said, Wynn removed his monitoring device, withdrew a large sum of cash from a bank, and fled the area in a family member’s vehicle.
HCSO issued a public alert, and Wynn was captured outside Atlanta later that evening. He was later extradited to Florida and adjudicated guilty in Circuit Court on Feb. 19, 2025.
Wynn was originally convicted in Stark County, North Dakota, in 2019 for gross sexual imposition and sexual battery on an adult victim with aggravating circumstances. As a result, he was required to register as a sex offender in Florida.
Authorities thanked the public and law enforcement agencies for their assistance in locating and apprehending Wynn.
