A Pomona man was arrested Monday after Howell County deputies determined he had been living in Missouri without registering as a sex offender.
According to a probable cause statement filed by the Howell County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to the Star Mart in Pomona around 4:22 p.m. for a report of a suspicious male. The deputy wrote that David Michael Payne was found sitting in his vehicle outside the store.
During the contact, deputies learned Payne had an outstanding warrant in California that was non‑extraditable and that he was a convicted sex offender who had not registered since moving to Missouri. Payne told the deputy he had been living in the state “since late February of 2025 and had not registered in Missouri.”
The deputy noted that Payne “knew that he had to register as a sex offender and not doing so made him non‑compliant.” Payne was taken into custody on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender under Missouri law.
The statement also indicates deputies believe Payne may have left California to avoid prosecution and that his criminal history “poses a great risk to the community.” His bond is set at $5000.
