Months after his release from prison, Jimcy McGirt arrested, accused of failure to register

The man whose appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed the status of tribal reservations in Oklahoma has been arrested, accused of failure to register as a sex offender.

Jimcy McGirt, 75, was arrested in Seminole. He allegedly had not told his federal parole officer that he was staying on the Seminole Nation reservation.

Seminole Lighthorse Police began looking for McGirt after he reportedly approached two children in Seminole . Their mother called police, who found him staying at a home nearby. More details about the arrest were not immediately available.

Who is Jimcy McGirt?

McGirt, a member of the Seminole Nation, was convicted of child sex abuse in Oklahoma state court nearly 30 years ago and was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Because the crime happened on a historical tribal reservation, he appealed in federal court arguing that the state had no jurisdiction to prosecute his case.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for McGirt in 2020, he was charged and sentenced in federal court. As part of a plea deal, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was given credit for time already served and released this year . The plea deal required him to serve five years of probation, register as a sex offender and have no contact with his victim, who is now an adult.

McGirt v. Oklahoma: How case reshaped tribal law

The eventual Supreme Court ruling led to the recognition of nine tribal reservations in the eastern part of the state and upended the state’s ability to prosecute Native Americans accused of committing crimes in those areas. Federal and tribal courts now have jurisdiction over those cases, but the relationship between tribes and some state leaders have remained tense.

More: Oklahoma task force on tribal reservation safety lacked tribal input. Here's how it went

Beyond criminal prosecutions, the McGirt ruling and subsequent cases have added nuance to laws on tribal sovereignty, which has shaken up issues like public safety, taxes and other agreements between tribes and the state.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Months after his release from prison, Jimcy McGirt arrested, accused of failure to register