BECKLEY, W.Va. – Justin Charles Baker, 35, of Smoot, was sentenced June 9 to one year and one month in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for failure to provide information related to interstate travel as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents and statements made in court, Baker was required to comply with the provisions of SORNA because of his conviction for sexual battery in Cleveland County, North Carolina, Superior Court on July 19, 2021. The conviction involved sexually inappropriate behavior with a 13-year-old relative. Baker was aware of SORNA’s registration requirements. Within two years of his conviction, Baker failed to comply with those requirements in three different states.
Baker failed to update his registration in North Carolina before moving to Virginia in August 2021. Baker also failed to update his registration in Virginia before moving from Covington, Virginia, to the area of Smoot, West Virginia, in August 2022. Baker resided and worked in West Virginia from August 2022 until November 29, 2022, and failed to register as a sex offender in West Virginia in violation of the requirements of SORNA.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuted the case.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
