An accused sexual offender who authorities said removed two GPS ankle monitors and left his home is still on the run.
Osceola County deputies said it took several hours for them to learn about the situation because an employee of the monitoring company, Court Resources, thought it was a false alarm and did not report it right away.
Investigators said an alarm to Court Resources that 70-year-old Loomes Wheeler Jr. was no longer at his residence went out at 1:49 a.m. Monday, but the sheriff's office was not notified until after 8 a.m.
Court Resources Director David Saporito said one of his employees sent a direct email to the state attorney's office and a judge at 2 a.m. when the bracelet alerted, but no one answered the email.
Detectives said Saporito told them his employee thought the alert was a false alarm.
Then, just before 8 a.m. Wheeler's family called Court Resources saying they couldn't find him, which is when the company called deputies.
According to investigators, one of Wheeler's GPS ankle monitors was found in a wooded area near his home, and the other was found on the driveway of his home.
Investigators said Wheeler, the owner of Horse World, was arrested on April 16 and charged with nine counts of capital sexual battery, four counts of lewd and lascivious conduct and three counts of sexual performance by a child.
According to investigators, a 9-year-old told them she had been battered by Wheeler, a relative, a number of times from the time she was 5 years old.
The girl told investigators that the alleged encounters happened at Wheeler's home and at his place of business, Horse World Riding Stables in Kissimmee.