Man Arrested Again After Release for 2015 Stabbing
A man who was recently released after serving eight years for the murder of a 6-year-old boy in Kentucky has been arrested again in Florida. Ronald Exantus was taken into custody Thursday afternoon, according to law enforcement officials.
Exantus faced charges related to a parole violation and for not registering as a convicted felon. He had just been released from prison last week after serving a notably short sentence for such a violent crime, which included repeatedly stabbing the young boy, Logan Tipton.
Attorney General James Usmeyer noted that his office had been in collaboration with local authorities in Marion County since receiving information about Exantus being in Florida. There was a sense of urgency in the statement, highlighting the severity of the original crime.
Usmeyer mentioned, “The Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the 5th Judicial Circuit State’s Attorney’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Ronald Exantus for failure to register as a convicted felon.” He also added that efforts are underway to facilitate Exantus’s return to Kentucky.
Reports suggest Exantus had been working in Florida as a forced reentry supervisor since his release, a role that seems particularly unsettling given his past. His early release, which occurred despite the Parole Board recommending he serve the full length of his sentence, has drawn significant backlash.
In 2015, Exantus broke into the Tipton home, where he attacked Logan while he was asleep. The crime was brutal, and several family members were present, witnessing the horrific act. In court, Exantus’s defense argued he was criminally insane and thus not accountable for his actions, which led to a 20-year sentence. Still, the fact he was released after just eight years has left many outraged.
The Tipton family has shared their devastation and fury over the situation. Logan’s father publicly expressed a desire for retribution if he were to encounter Exantus again, emphasizing a deep sense of fear for the safety of their remaining children.
He shared, “We have to be even more careful to protect our children, because we don’t want to lose another child.” The emotional weight of their experience remains heavy. Logan’s father even went as far as saying he would take violent action if ever face-to-face with Exantus in a court setting.
