Baker County Man Indicted On Federal Charge Of Failure To Register As Sex Offender

Jacksonville, Florida - Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today the return of an indictment charging Ray Charles Gasaway (47, Glen St. Mary) with failing to register as sex offender in the state of Florida, after traveling from the state of Tennessee. Gasaway faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. An arraignment and detention hearing are scheduled for July 17, 2013, at 11:15 a.m. before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas E. Morris in Jacksonville.

According to the indictment, on March 12, 1996, Gasaway was convicted of committing sexual battery and rape in Davidson County, Tennessee. Subsequent to his conviction, between June 14, 2012, and May 1, 2013, Gasaway traveled from Tennessee to Florida, where he has since resided. Gasaway allegedly failed to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

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 is being 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, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.