Crime and Courts

Babysitter found to be registered sex offender

Posted: Jun 21, 2012 2:21 PM by Jamie Leary
Updated: Jun 22, 2012 9:42 AM

59-year-old Michael Mattix, a registered sex offender, was arrested Thursday for violating his parole by serving as a babysitter for a 3-year-old girl.

Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement received a phone call around 10:45 AM Thursday from a woman who saw a child with a suspicious man she felt was not a parent.

Sheriff John Walsh says the child was sitting in a car near the man for some time and was getting in and out of the vehicle to talk to the man.

Walsh said police arrived on scene where Mattix was landscaping and learned he was not the legal guardian of the child but had been used by the girl's mother as an occasional babysitter.

Mattix was arrested and charged with probation violation.

The mother told police she had no idea Mattix was a registered sex offender.

Walsh said the child did not appear to have been harmed.

According to the National Sex Offender Registry, Mattix is listed as a level 2 offender and has one prior conviction of sexual intercourse without consent.

He is currently being held at the Butte Detention Center on a $15,000 dollar bond.

Walsh says this situation is a reminder for all parents to always know who is taking care of your child.

The National sex offender registry is public information and can be easily accessed online at www.nsopr.org