(Westminster, MD) – A convicted sex offender is being held without bond in Carroll County after an alert state trooper saw him in the presence of a child and notified state probation officials who moved quickly to violate his probation.
The accused is identified as Charles B. Purdum, 35, of the 100-block of Stoner Avenue, Westminster, Md. Purdum is charged with violation of probation and is currently being held at the Carroll County Detention Center without bond.
On the afternoon of July 14, 2009, a state trooper assigned to the Westminster Barracks Criminal Investigation Section observed the accused walking through a retail store in Westminster. The trooper saw that Purdum was walking with a young boy and a woman. The trooper also observed that Purdum was alone with the child when the woman, later identified as his mother, was shopping in another area of the store.
Knowing Purdum’s status as a registered sex offender, the trooper contacted a sergeant at the barracks who coordinates the Carroll County Sex Offender Registry. An investigation was initiated and troopers contacted agents with the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation. Officials there confirmed Purdum was on probation and that he was to have no contact with boys under the age of 18.
Probation agents applied for a warrant to violate Purdum’s probation. A warrant for his arrest was issued yesterday. He was arrested by troopers shortly before 4:30 p.m. yesterday at the Westminster office of the Division of Parole and Probation.
Through further investigation, troopers learned the 10-year-old boy and his mother were acquaintances of Purdum. The investigation into that association is continuing.
Purdum had been maintaining compliance with the requirements of Maryland’s Sex Offender Registry regarding regular registration and providing an accurate and current address. He is currently on probation for a sexual offense he was convicted of in 2003.
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