BUCKNER – Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a convicted sexual predator Tuesday after finding him living near Buckner City Park.

Sheriff Kyle Bacon says the sheriff’s office received information that 38-year-old Fred E. Smith was possibly living near Buckner City Park.

Deputies found him at a home adjacent to the park where he had been living for several weeks.

Smith, who last registered in Chicago, has been non-compliant with sex offender registration requirements since 2021.

Smith is lodged in the Franklin County Jail charged with Unlawful Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and Unlawful Child Sex Offender Residing within 500 feet of a Public Park.