Natrona County Sex Offender Fails to Register Five Times, Judge Has Had It

A self-described homeless man appeared in Natrona County District Court for sentencing before Judge Daniel Forgey this morning. At this time he was being held in custody with no bond to ensure that he was not released from jail.

After failing to register as a sex offender for a fourth time, Phillip Lloyd Ross earlier pleaded guilty with cold plea provisions in exchange for probation. Ross, however, did not appear in court for his previous hearing, which revoked the deal.

Ross cites a "revolving door of homelessness" as part of the issue, alleging that he had no way of knowing when his hearing was set because he does not have a consistent address. "It's been tougher than it would be or should be," said the defendant, who claims he has no phone and his email address is no longer valid.

Technically Ross is being charged with a fourth time failure to register, but Assistant District Attorney Blaine Nelson said the state could've pinned a fifth on him and intended to do so if Ross had not admitted to the charge this morning.

In Natrona County, court records document that Ross failed to register in 2012, 2019, 2022, and 2023.

Forgey said that due to Ross's "repetitive inability to comply" with state laws, he has zero confidence that Ross would be a good candidate for probation. He also said that Ross's criminal history is "concerning," even going back to the original charge that made him a sex offender, a first degree sexual assault felony in 1991.

"That's why I'm going to do what I'm going to do," said the judge before handing down a 3 to 5 year prison sentence to Ross, who will have credit for 104 days served.