A Bristol, Virginia man has pleaded guilty to charges related to failing to register as a sex offender after spending two years evading authorities in Mexico.
Corey Richard Parton, 36, admitted in federal court to not registering and updating his information under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). He also pleaded guilty to not providing required information about intended travel outside the United States.
Court records show that in December 2018, Parton was convicted in Russell County, Virginia for proposing a sex act using a communications system and soliciting child pornography. These felony convictions required him to register as a sex offender under SORNA. He initially registered with the Commonwealth of Virginia on April 16, 2019, and was obligated to re-register every 90 days.
On August 8, 2023, the Virginia State Police began investigating Parton’s compliance with SORNA registration requirements. The investigation found that he had not updated key information including his home address, vehicle registration details, employment status, and use of social media—which he was prohibited from using. Authorities sent re-registration forms instructing him to update this information; however, the forms were never returned.
Parton was subsequently charged with three SORNA violations in Bristol General District Court and arrested on August 16, 2023. After being released on bond, law enforcement discovered that he traveled to Galveston, Texas and boarded a cruise ship bound for Cancun, Mexico. Parton disembarked in Cancun and did not return when the ship left port.
Authorities later found Parton living at the Ocean Dream Hotel in Coco Bongo Beach, Cancun under an alias. He was arrested there on May 25, 2025.
“Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia and Colonel Matthew D. Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, made the announcement.”
The case is being investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Virginia State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Stone is prosecuting.
