Staff Report

James Frederick Renick

CULVER — A convicted sex offender with a lifetime registration requirement was recently arrested for unlawfully entering a Marshall County school and taking pictures of students at a swim meet.

James Frederick Renick, 74, Beech Grove, is charged with unlawful entry by a serious sex offender, a level 6 felony.

On Dec. 2, 2022, a Marshall County Sheriff’s Office deputy spoke with a security officer at Culver Academies about an incident involving Renick at a swim meet.

According to court documents, the security officer said Renick, a registered sex offender, was photographing students participating in the meet. The officer said he approached Renick and asked for his identification. Renick said he left his ID in his vehicle.

While walking with Renick to obtain his ID, a woman who reported Renick photographing the students said Renick was a sex offender. Renick then vacated the school property.

The woman said she had interactions with Renick during the 2019-20 high school swimming season and learned through an online alert that Renick was a sex offender.

The deputy learned Renick is a convicted sex offender with a lifetime registration requirement. He has been convicted in Pennsylvania of multiple counts of sexual abuse of children, corruption of minors, and endangering the welfare of a child.

On Jan. 13, 2021, Renick pleaded guilty in a St. Joseph County court to unlawful entry by a serious sex offender after taking photographs at a swim meet at the University of Notre Dame.

Renick was booked in the Marshall County Jail on Dec. 21, 2023.