Local sex offender, found in Colorado, wanted again after he fails to show up for trial
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IDAHO FALLS — Colorado authorities let an Idaho Falls man bail out of jail before his Idaho sexual abuse trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday.
The U.S. Marshalls Office found Deon Ellington Waynewood, 40, a registered sex offender in Arapahoe County, Colorado, earlier this month. Despite having a warrant that would have held no bail in Idaho due to an ongoing sex abuse case, Colorado authorities let him post bond before deputies from Bonneville County could extradite him.
After getting out of jail, Waynewood was a no show to the Tuesday 10 a.m. jury trial at the Bonneville County Courthouse. District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. signed a $750,000 bond bench warrant. Despite already having active warrants for his arrest, the new warrant demands Waynewood be brought back to Idaho Falls.
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“We are actively engaged in finding Mr. Waynewood and seeking his return to Idaho to stand trial for these charges,” Bonneville County Prosecutor Daniel Clark told EastIdahoNews.com.
When the Idaho Falls Police Department arrested Waynewood in 2019, a judge set his bail at $500,000. Investigators alleged Waynewood sexually assaulted a young teenage victim between 10 and 100 times, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Waynewood was charged with multiple counts of lewd conduct and sexual battery.
Waynewood asked a judge to reduce his bail several times with Bonneville County prosecutors objecting every time. After a hearing in March 2020, Watkins reduced bail to $150,000 which Waynewood posted. Waynewood had been in custody for nearly a year at the time he posted bond.
Prosecutors’ latest concerns with Waynewood were raised in May when they asked Watkins to revoke his bond. According to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, Waynewood showed up at the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office on May 6 while prosecutors were meeting with the victim in preparation for a scheduled May 10 trial. There was a no-contact order already in place, preventing Waynewood from coming in contact with the girl.
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“Waynewood was addressed by another prosecutor who explained that he could not be there and that if he had anything he needed to address, he needed to do so through his counsel,” the motion reads. “Waynewood argued the point for several minutes refusing to leave.”
While Waynewood argued with prosecutors, the victim had to be kept in a back office. Once Waynewood finally left, the Idaho Falls Police Department escorted the victim home.
“Prosecutors later learned from a witness that Waynewood had seen the victim’s vehicle parked in front of the office before he entered,” the motion to revoke bond reads. “The No Contact Order issued by the court against the defendant on July 22, 2019, prohibited him from stalking the victim or remaining within 900 feet of her. It appears that Waynewood has violated both of these provisions.”
Investigators looking into the incident discovered Waynewood had contacted a witness in the case. Based on what Waynewood is reported to have told the witness, prosecutors believe he is trying to gain sympathy from the witness or avoid prosecution in the case.
Watkins agreed and revoked Waynewood’s bond on June 1. The Idaho Falls Police Department put the word out on their manhunt and Deputy Marshalls located him on June 4 in Colorado. Waynewood was arrested in the same county he was convicted of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust in 2000.
When someone is arrested on a felony warrant out of state, the judge in that jurisdiction sets bail. The Arapahoe County Courts confirmed with EastIdahoNews.com that Waynewood posted $10,000 bond in the county. He is next scheduled to appear in a Colorado court on June 22.
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Waynewood’s criminal history in Bonneville County is extensive. In 2016 he violated a no-contact order. In 2015 he was convicted of enticement of children and unlawful access to schoolchildren, all misdemeanors. As part of his probation, he was supposed to have no contact with minors, according to court documents.
Through Waynewood’s legal case is in Idaho, he has claimed he belongs to The Moorish sovereign citizen movement and should not be charged under Idaho laws.
If anyone is aware of Waynewood’s whereabouts they are asked to call Idaho Falls Police at (208) 529-1200 or Bonneville County Crime Stoppers at www.ifcrime.org. People are also encouraged to contact their local law enforcement agency.