Baker County Man Sentenced To 32 Months In Federal Prison For Failing To Register As Sex Offender

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Ray Charles Gasaway (48, Glen St. Mary) to 32 months in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender in the state of Florida after relocating from the state of Tennessee. Gasaway was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.  Gasaway pleaded guilty on October 21, 2013, and has been in custody since his arrest on May 1, 2013, in Glen St. Mary.

According to court documents, on March 12, 1996, Gasaway was convicted of committing sexual battery and rape in Davidson County, Tennessee.  Subsequent to his conviction, between June 2012 and May 2013, he relocated from Tennessee and established a residence in Florida. On May 1, 2013, an officer with the Baker County Sheriff=s Office responded to a residence in Glen St. Mary, in response to an anonymous tip that an unregistered male sexual offender named “Ray” was living at that residence.  The officer made contact with Gasaway, who falsely identified himself as "Ray Galloway."  Gasaway subsequently admitted that his real name was Ray Charles Gasaway, and that he had moved to Baker County from Tennessee about a year ago, and had not registered as a sexual offender in Florida. Gasaway was arrested. Records checks confirmed that Gasaway had failed to register as a sex offender with Florida authorities.     

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.  The Adam Walsh Act also provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the U.S. Marshals Service, to assist the states in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders. This case was investigated by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshals Service, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc for more information about internet safety education.