A convicted sex offender who allegedly faked his own death to avoid registering as such was arrested in Arizona on Tuesday, authorities said.
Benjamin Hollins, 50, was originally convicted as a sex offender in California more than 20 years ago. By 2018, he had moved to Arizona City, Ariz., and failed to register as a sex offender there, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.
While working as a behavioral health counselor in Arizona City, Hollins was arrested for allegedly kidnapping and attempting to molest a 16-year-old client. As part of a plea deal, Hollins was sentenced to supervised probation and was required to register as a sex offender every year.
But in October of last year, Hollins allegedly had a woman help him fake his death. She reported to authorities that she had seen him jump off the Roosevelt Lake Bridge, near the Roosevelt Dam.
"A lot of resources were wasted looking for his body, which was clearly not found because he wasn't dead," Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said in a video following Hollins' arrest.
After faking his death, Hollins allowed his sex offender registration to lapse.
"Fortunately for us, Chandler PD didn't give up, they kept investigating, and they found him," Lamb said.
The Chandler Police Department continued searching for Hollins, and ultimately tracked him to Mesa, where he was living with a family under a false identity. The family, which included young children, had no idea about his criminal history or true identity, the sheriff's office said.
Hollins was arrested on Tuesday and booked into the Pinal County Jail
"Nice try, Benjamin. We found you. You're not dead. We're going to hold you accountable," Lamb said.
--with reporting by TMX
