A Leesburg man convicted of molesting a child in 2007 was recently arrested and charged with several sex offender reporting violations, including failing to inform the sheriff’s office about his new job at a thrift store.
Brandon Robert Wessling, 41, of 1305 Sunshine Ave., was convicted of lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim 12 to 15 years old in Hernando County and was convicted in 2017 in Pinellas County for failure to comply with sex offender requirements.
During an interview on April 21, Wessling and his girlfriend told a Marion County Sheriff’s deputy about several violations of the sex offender registration requirements. Wessling said he has been employed at the 441 Thrift Store in Leesburg for about four months without reporting. A manager at the store confirmed Wessling was employed there and said he was a “good worker,” according to the sheriff’s office report.
Wessling also has social media and failed to report he has the Facebook Messenger app on his smart phone. Wessling last re-registered with the sheriff’s office on Jan. 7 but did not report any employment, the report said.
Wessling was charged with failing to register changes to employment information as a sex offender. He was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released April 29 on $25,000 bond. Wessling is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on May 24.
