A 44-year-old Colorado man was arrested Monday in Rock Springs on felony charges of failing to register as a sex offender, according to a spokesman for the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Department.

Detective Jason Mower says the investigation started when detectives learned Jason Scott Bender had been living in Rock Springs for quite some time but had not registered as a sex offender as required by law.

Mower says Bender's criminal record includes felony convictions for sexual assault and for violence against law enforcement officers.

Mower says on Monday the department's SNAG (Sheriff's Narcotics and Arrest Group) started watching the place where Bender was living just in time to see him leaving his house. They later arrested him after stopping his car on the west side of Rock Springs.

As of Monday evening, Bender was being held in the Sweetwater County jail awaiting his initial court appearance.

If convicted he could face five years in prison, a $1000 fine or both. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation maintains a website, which features photos and information in known sex offenders in the state.

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