Hayes gets 15-year prison term for failure to register

A man convicted of failure to register as a sex offender must spend 15 years in prison, a Caddo judge ordered Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Vernon Hayes, 45, pleaded guilty September 14, 2026, of failing to properly register a change of address for the second time.

Sentencing was left up to the discretion of Caddo District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr. Hayes' sentence must be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

Hayes had been previously convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile to perform a sexual act in October 2003, a conviction that requires him to register as a sex offender. 

Hayes registered in accordance with law in May 2025. However, the following month, his landlord notified law enforcement that he had not been at his listed address for several days and was not paying his rent. Hayes could not be contacted. There is a maximum time during which a person who registers as a sex offender must notify they have changed or left an address, and as Hayes did not notify law enforcement of his move, a warrant was issued. He previously had been convicted of failure to register in December 2021, making this offense the second time he failed to register.

Assistant District Attorney Courtney N. Ray prosecuted the case, with Hayes represented by the Caddo Parish Public Defenders office.

The case was docket No. 409784.

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