A convicted sex offender from Butler is wanted by police after he failed to re-register last month with police.

Earl J. Richards, 59, has been missing since Dec. 4, when Butler police did not find him at his home address in the 300 block of West Brady Street.

A Tier 3 high-risk sex offender, Richards was convicted in 1993 of sexual assault in the third degree in West Virginia, the equivalent charge of statutory sexual assault in Pennsylvania.

He was sentenced to serve 1 to 5 years in prison, and moved to Butler County in 2004, according to court records.

As a Tier 3 offender, he is required to register his address and other information, in person, quarterly with the state police. He also must immediately notify police when he moves.

But after Butler police checked his home, they found him gone.

The landlord later told investigators that Richards was evicted from the home “several months ago,” according to court documents.

District Judge Pete Shaffer on Friday issued police an arrest warrant for Richards on three Megan’s Law violations, all felonies, including failing to register with police.

Butler County Court records showed that Richards in 2010 pleaded guilty to a charge of failure to comply with registration of sexual offender requirements.

He was sentenced in that case to 18 to 36 months in state prison.