DOCUMENT: Celebrity, Crime

"Hoarders" Star A Convicted Sex Offender

Floridian featured on hit A&E show is a creepy felon

Roger Sisson

View Document

Sisson Mug Shots

Sisson Sex Assault

Sisson Sex Registry

Sisson Elderly Battery

OCTOBER 18--In another low for reality television, a Florida man featured last month as a doll-collecting eccentric on the hit show “Hoarders” is a registered sex offender whose rap sheet includes three years in a Michigan prison for an attempted sex attack on an 18-year-old coed and a felony assault conviction for throwing a 72-year-old woman to the ground following a fender bender, records show.

The man introduced on the A&E network show as Patrick Donovan Flanagan O’Shannahan, or “Sir Patrick,” is actually Roger Sisson, a 65-year-old repeat felon who has created a fantastical, fabricated biography that includes a purported knighthood and a celebrated military career that left him with a chest full of medals.

This phony back story was never challenged on “Hoarders,” where Sisson was portrayed as a good-humored oddball who claimed that the doll collection in his rented Port Charlotte home was worth more than $50,000. “I am King Arthur, I am Peter Pan, I am the White Knight, so I create my own world which I live in,” he proclaimed on the show. “I’m addicted to beauty. I like beautiful women, flowers. Yes, that is my addiction.” Sisson, amidst his belongings, is pictured above in a scene from “Hoarders.”

In fact, Sisson--who was not identified by his real name on “Hoarders”--is a very creepy little man, according to police and court records. His rap sheet includes an assortment of felony and misdemeanor busts, which have resulted in a variety of mug shots (nine of which can be viewed here).

Convicted in 1981 of an attempted sex attack on an 18-year-old Eastern Michigan University student, Sisson, 35 at the time, was sentenced to two to five years in prison. He ended up serving slightly more than three years.

According to court and police records, Sisson attacked the teenager after treating the student and three friends to an expensive dinner at an Ann Arbor restaurant (he paid the $270 check and $51 tip with bad checks). After driving the students back to their dorm, Sisson offered to give the victim a ride to her boyfriend’s dorm.

In a handwritten statement to police, the student said that she accepted the ride. At one point, she recalled, Sisson stopped the car and, “He said that he wanted me.” Sisson drove to the end of a street, grabbed the student’s hand and bent her fingers backward. “He told me several times to take my pants off,” she wrote.

The woman began grappling with Sisson inside his 1972 Ford station wagon, biting his hand so hard she drew blood. “Then he reached for my throat to strangle me,” she recalled. The teenager, who said Sisson broke her glasses during the struggle, fled the vehicle after nearly biting off Sisson’s thumb. Running and crying, she got into a car occupied by a woman who quickly locked the vehicle’s door. She then saw Sisson get out of his car and begin running towards the woman’s vehicle before turning around and returning to his car.

When questioned by police, Sisson waived his Miranda rights and confirmed the student’s account of the attack, according to a police report. He admitted grabbing the teen “by the hand and squeezed her fingers and told her to take her pants off.” After he was bitten on the right thumb, Sisson told investigators that “he let her exit the vehicle.”

A notation in police records indicates that, at the time of Sisson’s bust for the assault on the Eastern Michigan student, a felony warrant for sexual assault had been issued for him in adjoining Oakland County. The disposition of that matter (and another felony case) could not be immediately determined since archived court records have yet to be retrieved.

As a result of his Michigan conviction, Sisson was required to register as a sex offender. Strangely, though, the Florida registry lists him under the name “Patrick Donavan O’Shannahan,” and records his birth date as September 24, 1955. The name “Roger Sisson” is included among his many aliases. Sisson was born on September 24, 1945.

A Florida Department of Law Enforcement rap sheet reveals that Sisson, under the O’Shannahan surname, has been arrested a half-dozen times since 1994. He has been busted for trespassing, fraud, failing to register as a sex offender, violating probation, and aggravated battery on a person over 65.

A Brevard County Sheriff’s Office report details Sisson’s 2002 arrest for pushing a 72-year-old woman to the ground after he got into a minor auto accident with the senior citizen. The woman, Joyce Dessart, suffered a broken hip in the fall.

Sisson told deputies that when he offered to help Dessart up, she just said, “My hip.” Thinking that the pensioner was faking an injury, Sisson recalled yelling at her, “Quit faking and acting like a bitch.” When Brevard County Fire Rescue officers arrived at the accident scene, a deputy asked Sisson “to stop yelling and to step to the side so the Fire Department could get to Joyce.”

Sisson subsequently copped to a felony plea for the Dessart assault and was sentenced to six months in the county jail. Upon his release, he was placed on probation for 4 ½ years.

Sisson did not respond to a message left on his voicemail or a note sent to his e-mail address.

It is unclear how Sisson passed muster with A&E or the company that produces “Hoarders” for the cable network. A&E reported last month that the show’s third season debut set a ratings record, with “Hoarders” recording “the best season debut for any original series in network history.” (10 pages)

Comments (21)

Below, it's "Sir Patrick" himself. All of his criminal records are fact and the pictures are obviously all of him. A creepy pervert, who likes to hit older women. He broke that poor old woman's hip after a car crash. And another lie he is stating: That the 72-year old he attacked was represented by her own daughter in court. That is not possible, and is not legal in any state for any lawyer to prosecute a person who may have inflicted harm on their relative, friend, or associate. This guy has schizophrenia written all over his face!
Seriously. Not the best job camouflaging his identify very well. Just hope he gets help instead of hurting more people...or himself. Sir Patrick sort of reminds me of Blanche Dubois, expecting everyone to buy the same BS that ruined her life.
all those photos posted here are not, I repeat the same man...simular yes but not the same man but as you know, you will post any trash to have yourselves feel superior and devore a wonderful man whom gave his life to Jesus Christ many years ago and he was a missionary in Camargo, Pokeeya SP? and Delecious Mexico for 2 years. Check with the va, veterans admin if you do not believe this. I pray some attorney will take his case and file and win a law suite against Anita, the sight, and the local news paper whom printed a vast number of lies about Sir Patrick. As you all did.
there are always at least 2 sides to a story, his, hers and then the entire truth; how.ever, it is very obvious that no one cares to hear or learn the entire truth and all of you sheep are always ready to be lead around by the sheep in woves clothing, pretending to honest and more and when in fact you all are nothing more than vultures, horrid excuses for and as human beings, filled with all manner of evils and most destructive lies, ways etc
I and SP are going to hire an attorney efor your pack of lies stated here and in additional places. He was never a convicted sex offender in Mi or anywhere else. He has never been charged with any probation vilations as you stated here, he does not have a long criminal record, was not charged ever or convicted of battery on anyone, let alone that filthy mouthed demonic 67 year old woman whos daughter was the prosecutor and he plead guilty to touching here, picking her up after she broke her hip. Your entire artical is nothing more than lies, with a little bit of truth mixed in to sell your story.
You should stop wasting so much time on the internet and go back to school so you can learn to spell, you idiot.
Great job smoking gun. You should hire Anita, she is the bomb diggity!
I'll say it again. The Smoking Gun DID NOT BREAK THE STORY. They were contacted by a member of a team who have been investigating him for over a month. If you want the real story, go here: http://tiny.cc/3rptw Information page here: http://anitawirawan.com/sirpatrick/ Mainstream media should CITE THEIR SOURCES. The whole story is far more complex, fascinating, and horrifying, especially since he is still a free man.
@mpompa, you're thinking of someone else. This guy's a Florida Republican.
I mive in Florida now and am just amazed by the complete trash that lives here. Do any of you recall the Love Line Radio Show with Adam Corolla and Dr. Drew? They used to play a game once a week called Nazi, Germany or Florida. They would list the atrocities and crazy crimes/happenenings and you would have to pick Nazi Germany or Florida. Sadly 90% of the time it was Florida.
For a while now a group has been working on exposing Sir Patrick/Roger Sisson and notifying the people he seems to be targeting via internet and in Port Charlotte. This group includes: Olena, Paul, EdM, Anita, Jennifer W, Kstar, Bhigh, Amy, Krudler, Leeb, Juicy, Leah23, Various anonymous sources, and many others...
Anita Wirawan and several anonymous people have been investigating this story for weeks on her blog. Although you may have great sleuthing skills, smokinggun, you haven't covered everything of interest in this story (it gets even weirder) and it was just bad manners not to mention the work of others.
@lpurifoy The girl he said was a 'neighbor's child' actually is his own daughter and she did not die.
GIVE CREDIT to your source, smokinggun! I am very happy to see this article, but it's not the whole story. There is a lot more to the sordid little story of Roger Eldon Floyd Sisson, aka "Sir Patrick". Look it up, readers!
You know where you got the info. Give credit. Glad to see a start on exposing this felon/con artist on a more well-traveled site. There is so much more than you have reported. Let's hope more people read the blog that started this and help put this guy away.
For the last month, there is only one site that has been working on exposing this felon. As others here have mentioned, you really should credit your sources.
Is this guy the Democratic Senated candidate from Conn?
I agree with the comments about citing your sources. I'd also like to say that "Sir Patrick" gave me the heebie-jeebies. I can't believe no one at A&E sensed anything amiss. How many interviews are done before putting someone on the air?
I'm disappointed you didn't give proper credit to your main source. Indeed, your article should have mentioned all the research done by a certain site, and specifically one person, that has spent weeks investigating Sisson.
Why don't you credit your sources?
I knew something was not right about "Sir Patrick". The reason he collects dolls is because of a neighbor's child that died. He has pedohile written all over him. He is obsessed with dolls and children! He scares me!