Fayette County grand jury indicts registered sex offender on 2 felony SORNA violations
FAYETTE COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - A Fayette County grand jury indicted a registered sex offender on two felony violations of the Alabama Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.
The documents filed Aug. 4 alleged Timothy Vess Benton failed to obtain a valid driver’s license or ID card from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and then failed to appear in person to provide the ID. His bond was set at $1 million.
Background on Benton’s conviction
Benton pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sodomy in November 2019 and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. He was originally indicted on 48 sex crimes in 2017, but the District Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss most of those charges as part of a plea agreement, according to court records.
Benton began serving his sentence on Jan. 31, 2020, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC).
In June 2025, Judge Samuel Junkin modified Benton’s sentence so that he would serve the remainder of his time under the supervision of the community corrections program.
House arrest conditions
In August 2025, Junkin issued an order confining Benton to house arrest at his parents’ home with GPS monitoring. Benton was permitted to leave only to go to his father’s shop on the same property, attend doctor’s appointments, or visit his family home in Gulf Shores, according to court records.
Junkin also ordered Benton to fully comply “with any and all recommendations made by the [Alabama Department of Mental Health], including any potential Traumatic Brain Injury rehabilitation services offered.”
Court records showed Benton was in a serious car accident in 2016 prior to his arrest and sustained significant injuries.
Junkin’s August 2025 order warned Benton that any violations of his conditions or conditions of community corrections “will result in the immediate removal of the Defendant from Community Corrections and he will be required to serve the balance of his sentence in the Department of Corrections.”
Judge and district attorney recuse themselves
In the letter, Junkin said providing for Benton’s health and safety had proved challenging and often times impossible for ADOC due to the brain injuries Benton suffered in the car accident. Junkin also noted that by placing Benton under house arrest, Benton would not be eligible for parole.
In his letter, the judge says he later learned that the family’s Gulf Shores home was not in compliance with SORNA rules. Junkin also amended his order so that Benton was not allowed to leave his family’s home in Fayette County except for medical treatment.
Fayette County District Attorney Andy Hamlin had filed a motion on Sept. 5, 2025, for Benton to serve the remainder of his sentence in prison. However, on Sept. 8, Hamlin recused himself from the case, citing an unspecified conflict of interest. Hamlin’s recusal led to him and his office turning Benton’s case over to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
SORNA arrest and court proceedings
Benton was arrested on Sept. 4, 2025, nearly a month after being moved to the community corrections program, after he reportedly violated SORNA by not placing a valid ALEA-issued photo ID on file when he registered as a sex offender in Fayette County.
A warrant for his arrest was issued that same day, and court records show he was arrested at 4:30 that afternoon. His bond was set at $2,500, which Benton made shortly after his arrest.
Testimony was heard in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court in October 2025.
A Fayette County Sheriff’s deputy in charge of the county’s sex offender registry program said Benton and his family members were told on Aug. 7, 2025, when Benton came to register, that he had 14 business days to obtain a valid ID. Benton was arrested after he reportedly never returned to place an ID on file.
Benton’s attorneys claimed no one went over the registration forms with Benton and suggested that Fayette County used an outdated version of the forms required for sex offender registration.
Tuscaloosa County Judge Jim Gentry found probable cause that Benton violated SORNA and bound the charges over to a Fayette County grand jury, which returned the indictment filed Aug. 4, 2026.
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