When authorities tracked him down last month, the Bar Nunn man accused of abusing eight children was working at a frozen meat company in central Arkansas, a detective testified Thursday.

Warren Jay Crawford traveled to Hot Springs, Ark., over the summer to work, but didn't notify authorities there of his sex offender status, Detective Tim Doll said. Investigators believe Crawford also failed to inform the Natrona County Sheriff's Office of the move, as required under Wyoming law.

The testimony came during Crawford's preliminary hearing in Natrona County Circuit Court. The 39-year-old faces 35 child molestation charges, but Thursday's hearing focused entirely on a 36th charge -- whether he failed to register as a sex offender.

Crawford is required to register for life because of sex-crime convictions in 1998 and 2003.

Doll told the court he went to Crawford's registered address in Bar Nunn on Sept. 11 as part of a sexual abuse investigation. A man at the home said Crawford had left three or four months earlier.

Investigators learned Crawford might have been living in Arkansas or Arizona, but neither state's registry listed him, Doll said.

Data collected from cell towers indicated Crawford was in Hot Springs, a town of 40,000 about 50 miles southwest of Little Rock, the detective testified. However, when reached by phone, Crawford claimed he was living in a different town about an hour away.

"I asked him to come back and he did," Doll said.

When he returned to Wyoming, Crawford told police he left Casper in July for work and traveled to Washington, California, Arizona and Arkansas. But in a separate interview, his girlfriend said she and Crawford went directly from Casper to Hot Springs, Doll told the court.

Crawford last updated his registry information on June 10. At that time, he listed the Bar Nunn home as his address.

During cross examination, Cotton asked Doll whether sex offenders are required to notify authorities if they leave the state for a vacation. Doll said he didn't know.

After listening to the evidence, Judge Michael Patchen ruled the case should move forward to district court.

Prosecutors have released few details about the larger child molestation case against Crawford, which they filed last week. Wyoming law has so far prevented the release of court documents related to the investigation.

During a previous court appearance, Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Hambrick said the allegations involved eight children, most of whom were under the age of 10 at the time.

Crawford remains held at Natrona County Detention Center in lieu of $500,000 bond. He is expected to appear in district court within several weeks to plead to the charges.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com. Visit tribtown.trib.com/JoshuaWolfson/blog to read his blog.