A registered sex offender in Dade County was arrested Friday for child molestation, indecent exposure and enticing a child less than two years after he was arrested for similar charges by the Chattanooga Police Department.
On Nov. 15, the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation involving Thomas Wooten, 37, who had exposed himself to young children in the Calendar Road area in Dalton according to witnesses.
When the investigation started, deputies learned that the Calhoun Police Department had also been investigating Wooten based on the description of his vehicle, a Chevy Z71 truck.
Thomas WootenWooten was driving the same truck when he was arrested by the Chattanooga Police Department in March, 2018, after he exposed himself to a young child and tried to lure the child in his vehicle using toys at Caruthers Park.
Wooten was out on bond on the first charge but had to register as a sex offender and did so in Dade County where he lives.
In the last month, investigators were able to identify the Chevy truck as his at his work.
On Friday, law enforcement agencies from Whitfield County, Dade County, Calhoun, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Alabama, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were able to find Wooten in Huntsville and arrest him.
Wooten is currently being taken back to Whitfield County where he faces charges.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.