The Allen County Sheriff's Department received a call at around 7:30 a.m. Thursday from a resident of Bluffton on East College Avenue regarding an individual behaving in a suspicious manner.

Officer Schultz arrived and found a man walking in the area and questioned him learning that he was not a resident of the area.

A flyer handed out by police to residents of the affected area stated that the man's name is James A. Benvenuto. In 1999, Benvenuto was convicted of "Illegal use of Minor in Nudity Oriented Material" and registered as a sex offender, according to the Allen County Sheriff's Office Website.

Bluffton Police Chief, Rick Skilliter, said that appropriate measures were taken to inform residents of the situation. Aside from the informational flyer, police used the Nixle messaging system to issue a notice that a sex offender from out of town was in the area.

The message also said to be aware and report suspicious activity, "particularly if a white Mercury four door car is in your neighborhood."
Chief Skilliter said that the issue had been taken care of by 8:15 a.m., but advised residents to stay alert.

"I would like people to be aware of their surroundings," said Skilliter, "If they have that feeling in their stomach that something isn't right, I encourage them to call the police and let us investigate."

Residents who are interested in receiving periodic alerts from the police department can sign up for the free Nixle service on their website at www.nixle.com.