On Saturday, May 9 a vigilant Scott County citizen made an anonymous report after viewing the Sex and Violent Offender Registry video recently released by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, according to Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin.
After verifying the information provided and confirming that the sex offender, identified as Jonathan Daniel Cole, 38, last known address of 401 Red Oak Way in Austin, was wanted in Scott County. On Monday, May 11, Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a restaurant in Scottsburg where Cole was located. He was booked into Scot County jail at 10:29 a.m. and being held on a $25,000 bond.
The arrest warrant, issued by the Scott Circuit Court in August 2025, revealed Cole was wanted for two counts of failure to register as a sex or violent offender.
“When you have an informed public, the possibilities are endless. The video, released on Friday, spoke to all of us about our responsibility in keeping our community safe. This offender undoubtedly thought he could ignore the rules of the registry,” said Goodin. “Thanks to this vigilant citizen, this offender is no longer roaming free.”