"We do not want him here"; Florida officials talk about Ronald Exantus arrest

Florida officials say they're 'not taking any chances', they want to send Ronald Exantus back to Kentucky.

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A man who served less than half of his sentence for killing a 6-year-old Kentucky boy has been arrested in Florida after authorities discovered he was living directly next to an elementary school and had failed to register as a convicted felon.

"We the people here in Florida, do not want this type of person out on our streets,"Marion County Lt. Paul Bloom siad.

42-year-old Ronald Exantus was taken into custody by the Marion County Sheriff's Office Intel Unit on Thursday at a home investigators say sits immediately adjacent to two schools.

Bloom said once they received information that he might be living in the county, they began surveying his home. When they noticed he shared a fence with an elementary school, Bloom said they put detectives between the house and the school. "We aren't taking any chances."

Investigators elaborated on the arrest on Friday morning, explaining Exantus had checked in with the Department of Corrections after moving to the area. Bloom said he was given paperwork and was told he had 48 hours to register at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, but failed to complete the registration process.

"Our hope here is that he is sent right back to Kentucky, where he came from as a violation of his probation and taken off of our streets," Bloom said.

Florida officials said they have received an outpouring of support from not only their local community, but also people from Kentucky, including Logan Tipton's parents who apparently told the sheriff's department they were very grateful for the arrest.

The arrest comes just weeks after Exantus's controversial release from a Kentucky prison sparked public outrage and even threats against state parole board members.

In December 2015, Exantus broke into a home in Versailles, Kentucky, and stabbed 6-year-old Logan Tipton to death while the child slept. The attack was completely random, according to court documents. Exantus had no connection to the Tipton family. Using a knife from their own kitchen, he also attacked Logan's father and sister during the invasion.

While Exantus was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, he was convicted on assault charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Why was he released in Kentucky?

Despite widespread criticism of the Kentucky Parole Board, the members actually aren't responsible for releasing Exantus.

Kentucky's Parole Board voted unanimously to keep Exantus behind bars. But under Kentucky law, the Department of Corrections was required to release him anyway as part of a mandatory reentry supervision program.

"Despite repeatedly voting for Ronald Exantus to remain in prison, Parole Board members have faced significant threats over the last several days," said Ladeidra N. Jones, chair of the Kentucky Parole Board.

The confusion over who was responsible for the release led to parole board members and their families receiving death threats and having their personal information posted online.

What happens next?

Bloom confirmed Kentucky's probation and parole department has been notified of Exantus' arrest in Florida. He said conversations "will happen about him being extradited back to Kentucky."

His charge in Florida, failing to register as a convicted felon, is considered a misdemeanor offense, but a probation violation could carry more significant weight.

Bloom confirmed there is no timeline for a possible extradition back to Kentucky, and that even if that plan was put in place, it would not be announced publicly. But said, "We want that to happen. We do not want him here."

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