Update: Melvin L. Wallace was arrested without incident in Laurel, Maryland after State Police received a call from a concerned citizen who learned of the hunt for Wallace. Virginia State Police would like to thank the media and the community for their combined efforts in successfully apprehending Mr. Wallace.
Virginia Beach, Va. - State police need your help to find a 56-year-old man who they say is an armed and dangerous sex offender.
They are looking for Melvin Leon Wallace who is now wanted on two felony counts for knowingly failing to re-register with the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.
They say Wallace's last known address was in the 500 block of Sterling Court in Virginia Beach.
Police believe he is now driving around the Norfolk and Virginia Beach areas in a 1986 primer gray Nissan or Toyota model pick-up truck.
They say the truck has a North Carolina registration with a partial NC tag of "X6X___."
They say Wallace is traveling with two pit bulls.
One family tells NewsChannel 3 they invited Wallace into their home although they knew he was a convicted criminal. They wanted to give him a chance but he turned on them.
"I have nightmares. I wake up some nights and I hear noises and I have to check," says one of the family members.
The Garretts live in Virginia Beach and they took Wallace in nearly a year ago when they realized he was homeless. They knew he had been convicted before, but they wanted to give him a second chance.
The family says they learned that his heroin addiction and anger problems were too much for them to handle.
They kicked him out a few weeks ago.
"I'm worried about that anger building and him coming back and hurting my family," says Mr. Garrett.
But Wallace did not take off without taking a few things from the Garretts they say.
They say he stole appliances, furniture, hundreds in cash, and two shot guns as well as ammo from the garage.
"He doesn't have a lot to lose. I do see him just not caring and doing whatever he has to do to evade capture."
If you've seen Wallace, please call State Police at 757-424-6800.
