A Florida town manager candidate, April Watson, was arrested this week for violating sex offender registry requirements, placing her bid for town manager of Jay on hold. Watson, 50, was taken into custody by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office during a "sex offender registry violation roundup."
According to an arrest report, Watson failed to notify authorities of her temporary residence at Splash RV Resort in Milton, Florida, where she stayed from May 29 to June 5. Florida law requires registered sex offenders to inform their local sheriff's office of any changes to their address, employment, phone numbers, or vehicles, with violations potentially leading to felony charges.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office confirmed Watson's stay at the RV park through the resort's records. The specific charges against Watson and the number of individuals apprehended in the recent operation were not immediately released.
The Town of Jay's Council voted to suspend Watson with pay on Monday, stating they were gathering information to make a decision on her candidacy. Jay Mayor Shon Owens had previously expressed confidence in Watson's ability to fulfill the town manager role, telling the Pensacola News Journal in early July that she was "the right person for the job." Following her arrest, Owens indicated the town was awaiting more information before determining its next steps.
Watson, who was promoted to operations manager for the town of approximately 525 residents in September last year, has a prior conviction for sexual offenses involving minors. In 2007, when she was 31, she engaged in sexual relationships with three 17-year-old male students. She pleaded no contest in 2010 and served 12 months of a 15-month prison sentence before being required to register as a sex offender. Watson has checked in with Santa Rosa County authorities approximately 75 times over the past 15 years, with her most recent check-in occurring on July 9.
Watson was released from jail late Tuesday after posting a $2,500 bond. Neither the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office nor Watson responded to requests for comment from The Post.