Luce County Sex Offenders

Luce County sex offender records are part of the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry, maintained statewide by the Michigan State Police. With a population of around 6,000 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Luce County processes all local sex offender registration through the Sheriff's Office in Newberry. Residents can search for registered sex offenders anywhere in the county, including in Newberry and surrounding townships, using the free Michigan PSOR. Searches can be filtered by county, zip code, or address, and the registry is updated as registrants report changes under state law.

Luce County Sex Offender Registry Search

The Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry search portal is the place to look when checking for registered sex offenders in Luce County. The tool is free and open to anyone. You can filter by Luce County, enter a Newberry-area zip code, or type an address. Name searches are also supported. Each profile shows the registrant's current home address, photo, vehicle information, offense type, and tier classification.

Luce County is small and rural. The number of active registrants is very low compared to southern Michigan counties. But the same state law applies here. Under MCL 28.725, any registrant must report changes in address, vehicle, or school or work location within three business days. The PSOR reflects those updates on a rolling basis and is the most accurate public source for Luce County sex offender information.

Luce County is served by the 11th Circuit Court, which it shares with Schoolcraft and Alger counties. Court case records can be searched through MiCOURT Case Search. For OTIS offender tracking and broader criminal history searches, state-level tools are the best option given the county's remote location and limited local resources.

The Luce County Sheriff's Department website at lucecountymi.com provides department information and contact details. The image below comes from that site.

The Luce County Sheriff's Department at 411 West Harrie Street in Newberry handles all sex offender registration for the county under Michigan's Sex Offenders Registration Act.

Registration at the Luce County Sheriff's Department

Sex offender registration in Luce County is handled through the Sheriff's Department at 411 West Harrie Street, Newberry, MI 49868. The main phone number is 906-293-8431. Sheriff Eric Gravelle is the department's 21st Sheriff, sworn into office on January 1, 2023. Sheriff Gravelle has a long background in law enforcement, having served with the Michigan State Police from 1989 to 2014 at posts in Owosso, Newberry, Mio, and Manistique. His experience in Upper Peninsula law enforcement makes him well-suited to manage registration and compliance in a remote rural county.

All registration must be done in person. There is no mail or online option. Bring a government-issued photo ID, proof of your current Luce County address, and vehicle registration documents. Initial registration must occur within three business days of moving to the county, per MCL 28.723. Updates to address, vehicle, or other required information must also be reported within three business days. Because Luce County is a small department, calling ahead at 906-293-8431 to confirm staff availability and hours before coming in is strongly recommended.

The registration fee is $50 at initial registration and $50 per year at each annual verification. The lifetime cap is $550. All three tiers pay the same fee schedule.

Note: Out-of-state offenders who establish residency in Luce County must register within three business days even if they were not required to register in their previous state.

Tier Levels and Reporting in Luce County

Michigan law at MCL 28.725a assigns all registered sex offenders to one of three tiers based on their offense. Tier I covers lower-level crimes like fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct under MCL 750.520e. Tier I registrants verify once a year and stay on the registry for 15 years. Tier II covers mid-level offenses such as second-degree criminal sexual conduct under MCL 750.520c. Tier II registrants verify every six months and remain listed for 25 years.

Tier III is the most serious category and includes crimes like first-degree criminal sexual conduct under MCL 750.520b. Tier III registrants verify quarterly and are on the public registry for life. All verification is done in person at the Luce County Sheriff's Department. Tier classification is set at the time of conviction by state law and cannot be altered by the local sheriff. Missing a scheduled verification window is a separate criminal offense, just like failing to register initially.

Legal Framework and Penalties

The Sex Offenders Registration Act at MCL 28.721 governs all registration requirements in Luce County. The law sets out who must register, how often, and what the consequences are for failing to comply. Under MCL 28.729, non-compliance is a felony. A first offense can bring up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. A second violation raises those limits to seven years and $10,000. A third or subsequent offense carries up to ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

These penalties apply to all forms of non-compliance, including failing to register on time, missing a verification window, and providing inaccurate information. Even registrants who have been compliant for years face full felony charges if they lapse. The Michigan State Police SOR Unit and local sheriffs cooperate on enforcement. To report a suspected violation in Luce County, contact the Sheriff's Department at 906-293-8431 or reach the MSP SOR Unit at (517) 241-1806, or by email at psors@michigan.gov.

Additional Search Tools for Luce County

For records beyond what the PSOR shows, a few other tools are useful. The Michigan Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) is run by the Michigan Department of Corrections and shows whether a person is currently on parole or probation in Michigan. It is free and helpful if you want to know whether someone recently released from prison may now be in Luce County.

The ICHAT tool from the Michigan State Police lets you search Michigan felony and misdemeanor conviction history for $10 per search. It goes beyond sex offenses. The National Sex Offender Public Website is free and searches all fifty state registries at once. These tools can supplement the PSOR, especially if a person may have a prior registration obligation from another state. For registry questions, the PSOR has a contact page that goes directly to the Michigan State Police team managing the registry.

Cities in Luce County

Luce County has no cities that meet the population threshold for dedicated pages on this site. Newberry is the county seat and main community in the county. To search for registered sex offenders anywhere in Luce County, use the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry at mspsor.com and filter by county or enter a zip code or address from the Newberry area.

Nearby Counties

Luce County is in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula and borders several other UP counties. Sex offender registry information for neighboring counties is available below.