Parkersburg Man Sentenced To 2 ½ Years In Prison For Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration Law

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg man was sentenced yesterday to two and a half years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release for failing to update his sex offender registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced.  Dwaine Allen Collins, also known as “Dwaine Allen Cline,” 54, previously was convicted after a bench trial in September. 

“Just last week, I joined fellow law enforcement officials in Beckley to announce the results of a blitz that netted 54 sex offenders who were out of compliance with the law,” U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said. “Our message was straightforward: If you are out of compliance, we will track you down and we will bring you to justice.” Goodwin added, “This sentencing helps underscore that sex offender registration is not optional.” 

On July 8, 1998, Collins was convicted of two counts of indecent liberties with a child in the Cumberland County Superior Court, in Cumberland, North Carolina.  As a result of this sex offense conviction, Collins was required to register as a sex offender for 15 years under federal law. 
An investigation conducted by the United States Marshals Service revealed that Collins registered as a sex offender in Ohio on August 22, 2001. 

The investigation further revealed that on or after February 23, 2011, Collins traveled from Ohio to West Virginia, where he resided in Parkersburg, Wood County, W.Va.  Collins was found to have not his sex offender registration in West Virginia as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.       

As a result of three law enforcement-led regional sweeps, a combined total of more than 1000 sex offender compliance checks have completed over the past year.  

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-248). SORNA provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States.

The United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada handled the prosecution.  The sentence was imposed by Chief United States District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers.     

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