VIDALIA — Seven Ferriday and Vidalia residents were arrested last week as part of a joint local and federal operation to ensure compliance with state laws pertaining to convicted sex offenders.

State law requires a convicted sex offender to obtain a separate identification card marked “sex offender” in addition to the requirement of having it annotated on their driver’s license.

Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office officials and U.S. Marshalls Office Sex Offenders Task Force officials completed the operation Wednesday, which aimed to verify the addresses of residents convicted as sex offenders and to verify those residents had obtained an identification card.

After someone is convicted as a sex offender, they must register with the sheriff’s office where they are monitored throughout the year. The sheriff’s office, Chief Deputy David Hedrick said, monitors those that don’t register throughout the year.

Those arrested in the operation include:

• Christopher R. Bass, 31, 2910 Louisiana 568, Ferriday, on a charge of failure to obtain sex offender identification card.

• Kenderrick D. Green, 20, 171 Lee Tyler Road, Ferriday, on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender.

• Lawrence Gardner, 37, 184 Rail Road Drive, Ferriday, on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender.

• Marvin King, 56, 200 Vidal St., Vidalia, on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender.

• Gary Hawkins, 35, 132 Lee Tyler Road, Ferriday, on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender.

• Dale S. Williams, 53, 213 Washington Heights Road, Ferriday, on charges of failure to register as a sex offender and warrant for other agency.

• Maurice H. Green, 32, 607 S. 8th St., Ferriday, on charges of failure to register as a sex offender and felon in possession of a firearm.

Upon first conviction, anyone charged with failure to resister as a sex offender can be fined not more than $1,000 and imprisoned with hard labor for not less than 2 years nor more than 10 years without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

Concordia Parish Sheriff Kenneth Hedrick said the verification of compliance of registered sex offenders is a high priority for his administration.