Warning issued on violent sexual predator

Authorities are looking for a designated violent sexual predator who was released from prison Monday and failed to report to the Boise homeless shelter where he said he intended to live.

Donovan Robert Carlton, a 55-year-old with a lengthy history of violent crimes, was convicted in 2001 in Kootenai County of assault with intent to commit lewd conduct. According to court records, Carlton molested an 8-year-old boy.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department issued a press release Tuesday evening urging the community to be aware that Carlton was on the loose.

According to the release, Carlton told authorities he was planning to stay at the Boise Rescue Mission, but never reported there. He has been known to use the alias Norman Spencer, the press release said.

Carlton’s Kootenai County court file includes pages of printouts of records of previous crimes and convictions. He has served time in prison for convictions for robbery in 2000 and for lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under 14 in 1986 and again in 1993.

He was sentenced to serve five years in prison for the Kootenai County conviction, with 2 ½ years of that term fixed.

In September, the Sexual Offender Classification Board wrote to 1st District Judge John Luster asking for sealed information on the 2001 conviction. The letter said the board was considering designating Carlton as a violent sexual predator under the “recidivist” qualification.

The designation of violent sexual predator is given to sex offenders considered the most dangerous or most likely to reoffend.