'Canterbury cannibal' detained in Nebraska

A would-be cannibal convicted of trying to eat a teenage girl in England is in custody in the United States after he moved to Nebraska earlier this month.

Dale Bolinger, 62, was convicted in 2014 in Canterbury, England of plotting to rape, behead and eat a 14-year-old girl.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison but was released early, and on Jan. 4 registered as a sex offender in Blair, Neb., the Omaha World-Herald reported.

RELATED: Most outrageous mugshots and crimes

The move sent his neighbors, who claim the area is filled with children, into a panic.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there was a “Bolinger situation” but did not explain why he was detained.

NEBRASKA SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY

“We want to inform the citizens of Washington County that law enforcement and the county attorney’s office know the location of Mr. Bolinger and you can rest assured that he [sic] not a threat to the community at this time,” County Attorney Scott Vander Schaaf said in a statement Monday.

The Washington County jail received Bolinger on Jan. 12, according to jail records.

Sheriff Mike Robinson confirmed that Bolinger was being held in the Washington County jail, but could not “legally” say why, the Kansas City Star reported.

RELATED: Most famous US crime trials over the past 25 years

Residents have complained about Bolinger’s presence in their neighborhood.

“It’s making my heart race,” Sylvia Kasper, a Blair resident, told the Omaha World-Herald. “It’s scary considering I have a small daycare, and now I really have to watch and keep doors locked,” she said.

Robinson told the news outlet that a number of citizens have voiced their concerns about Bolinger living in the area.

“We’re just as frustrated as everybody else,” Robinson told the Omaha World-Herald.

Bolinger, a former nurse, was dubbed the “Canterbury Cannibal” after he told police he was interested in children as food, according to the BBC.