Hickory Man Sentenced To Serve Minimum Eight Years In Prison

49-year-old Dexter Leon Surratt of Hickory, will spend eight to ten years in prison after he was found guilty of failure to register as a sex offender and attaining status as a habitual felon by a Catawba County jury. The sentence was imposed by Superior Court Judge Nathaniel J. Poovey of Catawba County on Thursday. It concluded a three-day trial in Catawba County Superior Court.

The 12-member jury panel returned a guilty verdict on the underlying charge on Wednesday after deliberating for approximately 30 minutes. Jurors returned on Thursday to determine that Surratt was a habitual felon, enhancing the length of his prison sentence. They deliberated for about half an hour. Surratt’s conviction for failure to register as a sex offender was his third on that particular offense, and he was found to be a habitual felon for a second time.

Surratt’s previous felony convictions included failure to register as a sex offender in Catawba County (November 2017 and April 2014) and indecent liberties with a child in Catawba County (June 1994). The trial began on Tuesday, August 25 with jury selection, followed by evidence presentation from the State and the defendant, who represented himself.

Deputies with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office attempted to verify that the defendant was staying at his listed address on April 24, 2024, only to find that he had been evicted from the property on March 26, 2024. He had not updated the new address as required by law for sex offenders.

Warrants were taken out in May 2024, and Surratt was arrested in September 2024. Upon his release, Surratt still did not comply with providing an address and was arrested again in October 2024. The investigation was conducted by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY