Cabell County man pleads guilty to failing to register as a sex offender

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -  A 60-year old Cabell County man faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty today to failing to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced.  Ronnie Alvin Howard, of Huntington, West Virginia, entered a guilty plea before Chief District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers.

Howard was convicted in 2007 in Michigan of two counts of Assault with Intent to Commit Second Degree Sexual Assault involving minor victims.  These convictions require Howard to register as a sex offender. Howard was also convicted of Second Degree Sexual Assault in 1980 in Michigan.  In August of 2012, Howard moved to Huntington, West Virginia, and did not register as a sex offender despite knowing it was required by law.   He continued to reside and work in Huntington without registering until his arrest on February 18, 2015.

The court scheduled sentencing for Howard for August 17, 2015, in Huntington, West Virginia.

The United States Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution.

This case is being brought as part of U.S. Attorney Goodwin’s ongoing initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse in the Southern District of West Virginia.