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MARION COUNTY, Ind. — Sex offenders who aren’t registered in Marion County need to get out and go back to where they came from. That’s the message from Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal, whose office conducted Operation Watchful Eye on Wednesday.

Sheriff’s deputies combed through the streets on the east side of Indianapolis near Brookside Park. Dozens of sex offenders live in that area, some of which haven’t even registered. Warrants were served and a teenager, charged with rape and child molestation, was arrested.

Forestal says over 1,800 sex offenders live in Marion County, but over half of them are from other counties, and two were from Idaho. The whole situation leaves Sheriff Forestal with a simple question for sex offenders in the capitol city.

“Why do you come here? Why do you think this Hoosier hospitality extends to you? I don’t think it does,” says Forestal.

Forestal’s other frustration is with the registration process. He says many offenders are sent to Marion County out of convenience for the city’s registration and bussing capabilities. But he says the problem with that is many of those offenders don’t go back to wherever they came from, but instead stay in Marion County.

“They claim it’s easier for people to get on the busing system and travel throughout [the state] than it would be to the surrounding counties,” Forestal explains, “actually, I don’t care that’s it’s not convenient for them.”

Now that the east side operation has been complete, Forestal says his office is going to run similar operations throughout the rest of the county, starting with Pike Township next week.

“And if anybody’s a sex offender up there, it’s fine if they know were coming. Be sure they’re following the law and if they’re from out of town or out of state, you got a week to move out if you refuse to be checked,” says Sheriff Forestal.

Check out the full interview with Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal below: