PUNTA GORDA- Punta Gorda Police Sex Offender Monitoring Program leads to rapid arrest of new city sex offender and his brother.

The Punta Gorda Police Department’s Sex Offender Monitoring Program flagged a potential new sex offender residing in the city limits around 6:30 Saturday morning.

Officers determined that 49 year-old Christopher Echter was a registered sex offender who had registered through the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) with an address of 450 Capri Island.

Knowing that there was no such address in the city, Master Police Officer Harvey Ayers assumed that the address might be 450 Capri Isles Court in Punta Gorda.

Officer Ayers responded to that residence and subsequently contacted Christopher Echter.

Officer Ayers learned that Echter had been convicted of Sexual Battery of an eight year old child in Montcalm County, Michigan in 1993.

Officer Ayers subsequently determined that Echter had been released from the Sarasota County Jail on October 27th and had moved into his mother’s residence at 450 Capri Isles Court.

While he had reported an incorrect address to DHSMV, it was also determined that he had not registered with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office as required by law.

Officers also determined that Echter was a convicted felon in both Michigan and Florida and that he was currently wanted in Michigan on the basis of an active warrant for a “peeping tom” offense involving a young child, however Michigan authorities indicated that they would not extradite Echter from Florida.

At 10:35 a.m. Saturday Officer Ayers arrested Echter at his home for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and Failure to Register as a Convicted Felon.

After transporting Echter to the Charlotte County Jail, Officer Ayers found that Echter had deposited a Schedule III Narcotic pill in the rear seat area of the patrol car.

Echter was additionally charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance (Hydrocodone) and he is currently being held a the Charlotte County Jail with no bond.

While at the home of Christopher Echter, Sergeant David Lipker contacted Christopher Echter’s brother, Robert Lee Echter, 51, who was also residing at 450 Capri Isles Court.

Robert Echter advised Sergeant Lipker that he has resided at the residence for the past five months.

A subsequent check of Robert Echter’s criminal history determined that he has been arrested 31 times in Florida with 10 felony convictions and that he has been incarcerated by the Florida Department of Corrections six separate times from 1990 through 2005, and was last released in 2007.

Officers also determined that Robert Echter has never registered as a convicted felon with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office as required by law.

Echter told officers “I did not know I had to register.”

Robert Echter was placed under arrest for the charge of Failure to Register as a Convicted Felon and he was transported to the Charlotte County Jail where he is being held with no bond.