Police have found the high-risk child-sex offender they were hunting for, on SH1 near Pegasus, Canterbury about 11:35pm last night.
Darren Albert Jolly (51) was wanted by Tasman police after breaching his release conditions, police said yesterday.
Jolly appeared at the Christchurch District Court charged with breaching the conditions of his release and was remanded in custody this morning.
Jolly was released to Dunedin earlier this year, prompting some City Rise schools to warn pupils and their families about a sex offender being in the area.
The Otago Daily Times understands Jolly was relocated from the city after being visited by a reporter and questions were put to the Department of Corrections.
Jolly is subject to strict supervision conditions under a 10-year extended supervision order (ESO).
He has breached the order 15 times and has more than 110 convictions for sex with underage girls, indecent sex acts, fraud, theft, assault and dangerous driving.
Corrections refused to answer questions about Jolly being located in Dunedin in October, saying: ``We don't comment on the management of individual offenders, as it can be detrimental to their rehabilitation and safe management.''
In a statement yesterday, police advised the public not to approach Jolly and to call 111 immediately if he was seen.
Jolly was sentenced to seven and a-half years' jail in 2004 for plying minors with liquor and having sex with them. The Crown sought to have him sentenced to preventive detention.
He was released in 2012 and has regularly breached his release conditions.
He was released to Dunedin last year and within days breached his ESO conditions.
