Wood County Man Sentenced To Prison Time For Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration Law

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced that a Wood County man was sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for failing to update his sex offender registration under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.  Randall K. Taylor, 48, Rockport, Wood County, W.Va., previously pleaded guilty in October 2012. 

On February 8, 1991, Taylor was convicted in the Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County, Ohio of gross sexual imposition with specification.  As a result of his felony conviction, Taylor was required to register as a sex offender.  On June 22, 2011, Taylor registered as a sex offender in the state of Ohio.   
An investigation conducted by the United States Marshals Service in the Southern District of West Virginia revealed that Taylor traveled in interstate commerce to Rockport, Wood County, West Virginia, where he resided from September 2011 through May 17, 2012.  Taylor admitted that subsequent to his travel to West Virginia, he was required to update his sex offender registration under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.  The investigation further revealed that Taylor failed to update his sex offender registration as required by law.         

The United States Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Johnston handled the prosecution.  The sentence was imposed by United States District Chief Judge Robert C. Chambers.   

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 http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/PSCpage.html. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and follow the link named “Resources.”