Florida officials recapture convicted child killer after Kentucky prison release

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier assured the public on Thursday that the man convicted of fatally stabbing a child in the head is once again behind bars. Kentucky officials released Ronald Exantus earlier this month after he served less than half of his sentence for fatally attacking 6-year-old Logan Tipton in 2015. Florida police rearrested Exantus for failing to register as a felon with the local sheriff, Marion County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Paul Bloom said Friday.

How was a child killer released? A jury convicted Exantus in 2018 of second-degree assault instead of murder, on the grounds of insanity. He was expected to serve 20 years in prison, but was released early under the state’s mandatory reentry program to help nonviolent offenders reenter society. Exantus did not qualify as a violent offender with a second-degree assault conviction, allowing him to be released earlier this month.

Exantus’ release made national news and caught the White House’s attention. It’s entirely unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just a few years in prison, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote last week. Uthmeier responded to the White House’s concerns on Thursday, saying state officials were working to extradite the felon back to Kentucky. Florida corrections officials informed Exantus that he had 48 hours to register as a felon with the county sheriff’s office, Bloom said. Exantus was rearrested after failing to register with the sheriff, which Bloom noted may also be a probation violation.

County officials were informed of Exantus’ presence in the county and found that he was living next to an elementary school, Bloom said. A single fence stood between Exantus’ residence and the elementary school, he explained. The sheriff’s spokesman clarified that no ordinances or parole requirements barred Exantus from living next to the school, but said authorities would not take any chances. Detectives were assigned as a buffer between the school and the house to ensure nothing bad happened, Bloom explained.

Bloom acknowledged the national outrage over the case and described what he characterized as a loss of common sense in the judicial system and a willful disregard for residents. The people of Florida don’t want this kind of person walking the streets, and hopefully, he’ll be put back behind bars and stay there, Bloom said.