Yuma — The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) is releasing the following information pursuant to Community Notice ARS 13-3825 on the Sex Offenders Act. The perpetrators of this publication live within Yuma County. It is the responsibility of the Supreme Law Enforcement Agency, which has jurisdiction over the area where the offender resides, to notify the community. Notice must be given when certain sex offenders are released from Arizona state prisons, accepted under interstate agreements, or released from county prisons to the community. Criminals he is classified into three levels: Level 1 (low risk to the community), Level 2 (medium risk to the community) and Level 3 (high risk to the community).
The person featured in this notice, Brian Barnard, 62, has been convicted of a sex offense and is available for community notice. Brian Barnard has notified YCSO that he lives at 966 South Palm Avenue in Yuma, Arizona. He is described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 187 pounds, and having brown hair and brown eyes. At this time he is not wanted by the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.
On August 5, 1988, Bernard pledged not to contest a sexual misconduct charge in San Juan District Court in Azteca, New Mexico. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the New Mexico Department of Corrections, with one year of parole obligation following his release. The victim was an unknown adult woman.
On August 24, 2016, Bernard pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in Yuma County Superior Court. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Arizona Department of Corrections and given 680 days in prison. Bernard is currently on lifelong intensive probation under the supervision of the Yuma County Adult Probation Service.
Brian Barnard is considered a Level 3 sex offender with a high risk of recidivism.
This notice is not intended to incite fear. Rather, we believe that an informed community is a safer community. YCSO has no legal authority to dictate where sex offenders may or may not live. Unless a court-ordered restriction exists, this criminal is constitutionally free to live wherever he chooses. It is unacceptable for citizens to use this information to threaten, intimidate, or harass sex offenders. Sex offenders live in our community all the time. But Megan’s law allows law enforcement to share this information with you.
YCSO would like to remind the public about registered sex offenders and community notification program OffenderWatch. To sign up for free email alerts or search for sex offenders in your area, visit the YCSO OffenderWatch page.
