Florida officials arrest Ronald Exantus for failure to register as a felon

MARION COUNTY, Fla. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Florida authorities have arrested Ronald Exantus — the man found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2015 killing of six-year-old Logan Tipton in Versailles — after he allegedly failed to register as a convicted felon.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest Thursday on X, saying his office worked closely with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and State Attorney Bill Gladson to obtain a warrant. Uthmeier described Exantus as a “dangerous individual who murdered a child by repeatedly stabbing him in the head” and said officials are now working to send him back to Kentucky.

According to Uthmeier, the arrest warrant was issued after law enforcement learned Exantus was in Florida and had not registered as required. He was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in Marion County at a home he was living in, next door to an elementary school, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Exantus’ case has drawn national attention since 2015, when he broke into a Woodford County home and stabbed Logan Tipton to death while the child slept.

In 2018, Exantus was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found not guilty of murder and burglary by reason of insanity but guilty, but mentally ill on assault charges. State records show he was released from prison October 1 after serving less than ten years and was placed on mandatory re-entry supervision through June 2026.

Now, Exantus faces new legal trouble in Florida, where officials say they will continue coordinating with Kentucky authorities to ensure he is returned to face consequences for the violation.