Hernando Sex Offender Arrested for Falsifying Registration, Hiding Phone Number

Hernando County deputies arrested a registered sex offender earlier this month after a routine bi-annual check revealed he had been concealing a phone number and associated email account from state authorities for more than a year.

Ivo Warren Shipman, 58, was taken into custody on March 4 on three counts: failure to report an internet identifier and email account, failure to report a change of phone number within 48 hours, and knowingly providing false registration information. He is being held without bond.

The case began on February 4, 2026, when information surfaced during Shipman's bi-annual Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sexual Offender and Predator System registration indicating he possessed an unreported phone number through the internet-based calling service Text Now. Shipman told investigators he could not recall when he obtained the number. The matter was referred to Detective G. Marcacci for investigation.

Detective Marcacci obtained a subpoena for Shipman's Text Now phone records. Those records showed he had created the account on November 21, 2024. The account was tied to an email address Shipman had previously listed in his sex offender registration, but further investigation revealed that email was not reported to his registration profile until February 4, 2025, approximately 75 days after the Text Now account was created.

Florida law requires registered sex offenders to report any new phone number or internet identifier within 48 hours of acquiring it. Shipman's failure to meet that deadline on both counts, combined with the false registration information charge, formed the basis of his arrest.

Shipman's registration obligations stem from a 1999 Hernando County conviction for lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 16 years of age, offender 18 years of age or older. That adjudication designated him a sexual offender under Florida law, subjecting him to ongoing reporting requirements.

Anyone with information related to this case can contact Hernando County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or by texting TIPS from a cell phone. Tips may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000.