A man convicted of sexually abusing a young girl more than 10 years ago pleaded not guilty in Freeborn County District Court on Monday to failing to register his correct address as a predatory offender.

The man, Mitchell Rex Willette, 52, requested a jury trial on the charge.

Assistant Freeborn County Attorney David Walker said predatory offenders are required to register several pieces of information with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, including where they live, what they drive and if they own property, among others. Even if the offender only stays at a residence on a short-term basis, this address must still be registered.

“You do not want predatory offenders moving from place to place without knowing where they are,” Walker said.

Willette reportedly ended up staying at a residence that was not registered.

Walker said Willette was arrested in Cerro Gordo County in Iowa in early November on a warrant out of Minnesota for failing to properly register and was extradited to Freeborn County.

If Willette is convicted of the new charge, he will be sentenced to a mandatory minimum of two years in prison. The maximum sentence for the charge is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Online court documents state Willette was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual assault in 1999 in Mower County. This is not the first time he has been accused of a registration violation as he was convicted in 2007 of knowingly violating his registration requirements or intentionally providing false information.

Online court records state Willette lives in Rockwell, Iowa, though his exact address was not included. A photo of Willette was not available by press time.