LEXINGTON COUNTY -- More than 250 convicted sex offenders in the Atlanta area are unaccounted for after Georgia authorities admitted Monday they have lost track of nearly ten percent of the state's known offenders.

With the Midlands just a three-hour ride up Interstate 20, that has some local residents concerned the suspects could be in South Carolina.

Charlene Drummond lives in Richland County and is the mother of two young children. She says it's disturbing to know so many people are on the loose without law enforcement keeping tabs on them.

But Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said Monday there is no information that any of the missing offenders have come to the area.

According to Metts, the Richland and Lexington County Sheriff's departments work together to make monitoring area sex offenders a top priority. Metts said deputies regularly visit convicted sex offenders just to be sure they haven't moved without informing the authorities.

Of more than 400 registered sex offenders in Lexington County, 11 are currently wanted for failing to register.

Capt. Chris Cowan with the Richland County Sheriff's Dept. said 42 sex offenders are currently wanted for failing to register out of more than 600 offenders who live in the county.

Both Cowan and Metts said Monday they were confident deputies would already know if Georgia sex offenders were moving into the area.