Jon Joseph Rutherford - Repeat Sex Offender

25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years
......Sarah Tofte

A registered sex offender on the run from police has been indicted for yet another sex crime. Jon Joseph Rutherford, 21, was charged by an Oahu grand jury Tuesday for six counts of sexual assault on a girl under the age of fourteen and one count of failing to comply with Hawaii’s sex offender registry law.

The indictment accuses Rutherford of two counts of sex assault in the first degree and four counts of sex assault in the fourth degree. He allegedly abused the girl during a twenty day span that began on January 11th and ended on January 31st.

Rutherford’s last known address is the IHS homeless shelter in Iwilei and people there remember him as a frequent visitor who would go to the shelter for food. "He was to himself,” said Marcelo Clemente, who spoke to Khon2 Wednesday morning near the entrance of the shelter on Sumner Street.

In the past several weeks Rutherford had been seen with a young teenage girl, who he would often take to IHS. “The girl used to come over here with him,” said Clemente, who believes the girl is 13 years old. It’s not known if the girl with Rutherford is the victim referred to in the four page indictment.

Other men outside the homeless shelter said Rutherford frequents Aala Park in Kalihi, Kakaako Waterfront Park and the Hawaii State Library on South King Street. After being shown a picture of the accused sex offender, a library security guard told Khon2 that Rutherford was inside the building three or four days ago.

Rutherford, who also uses the first name Ryan, was convicted last December of sex assault in the second degree after forcing a 15 year girl to have sex.

According to court documents Rutherford met the girl at the Pink Cadillac nightclub in September of 2006 and then continued the friendship through the website MySpace.com. Three days after meeting his victim Rutherford setup a rendezvous at the Pearlridge Shopping Mall and took the girl to a shed type structure in the back ally of Sears. He threatened the girl with rape if she refused to perform oral sex o him.

After the conviction, which included a guilty verdict for carrying a deadly weapon, prosecutors requested a ten year prison term Rutherford. However Circuit Court Judge Virginia Crandell sentenced him to one year in jail and five years probation. Rutherford was immediately released from custody because of time served in jail while awaiting the conclusion of his trial.

A warrant for Rutherford’s arrest on the new sex assault charges was issued on Wednesday. He is also wanted on a $25,000 probation revocation warrant that authorities issued February 12th.

Anyone with information on Rutherford’s whereabouts is asked to call police or Honolulu CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.