People v. Barker

Opinion

BROWN, J.

A registered sex offender must, within five working days of the offender’s birthday, update his or her registration. (Pen. Code, § 290, subd. (a)(1)(D).)1 Willful failure to update one’s registration is a felony. (§ 290, subd. (g)(2), hereafter section 290(g)(2).) The question presented by this case is whether the willfulness element of the offense may be negated by just forgetting to register. We conclude it may not be.

Factual and Procedural Background

Because the issue before us is narrow, the facts may be briefly stated. Defendant is a registered sex offender. He was…