A Clermont man died and a child was injured in this accident.

A Clermont man died and a child was injured in this accident.

Fayette County Sheriff’s deputies have learned a motorist killed in a crash on Sunday was a convicted sex offender. The crash happened around 5:30 p.m. on Highway 18. A car driven by 38-year-old James Tackett of Clermont went out of control and slammed into Resale Therapy, a local business.

The crash causes extensive damage to the building and killed Tackett. Authorities say alcohol may have been a factor. Emergency workers removed a five-year-old girl from the back seat of the car and took her to a local hospital for treatment. An investigation revealed Tackett was a convicted sex offender who had failed to register with the Fayette County Sheriff’s department and he had been living with the girl’s mother in Clermont.

Investigators believe Tackett’s girlfriend, 27-year-old Hilary Upton, knew that Tackett was required to register as a sex offender and she allowed him to watch her daughter. On Monday, Upton was charged with child endangerment. The Department of Human Services has been called in to further investigate Upton, due to other children living in the home.

(Reporting by Roger King, KOEL, Oelwein)