A Greenbrier County man was arrested on the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 15. James Ray Leech, 40, of Wildcat Run Road in White Sulphur Springs, was charged with failure to register as a sex offender. Leech is currently being held in Southern Regional Jail on $15,000 cash or surety.
In September 2001, Leech was convicted of one count of rape and two counts of assault in Baldwin County, Alabama. Leech was released from incarceration on July 23 of this year, and notified the state of Alabama of his intention to permanently reside on Big Draft Road in the White Sulphur Springs area.
According to the criminal complaint, Leech was required, by law, to register, within 10 days, his intended address with the Lewisburg Detachment of the West Virginia State Police.
The complaint states, “ The defendant (Leech) knowingly, willingly and feloniously moved to a residence located at [ ] Wildcat Run Road near the incorporated community of White Sulphur Springs, WV, in July of 2020 and failed to register said address within the required 10 days.”
On July 10, Leech was detained by a member of the White Sulphur Springs Police Department and allegedly admitted to having resided at the Wildcat Run Road address since his release from incarceration in Alabama. On Sept. 20, Leech was issued a complaint for a motor vehicle restriction by a member W.Va. DNR Police. Leech is alleged to have given Wildcat Run Road as his primary address during this interaction with law enforcement, as well.
According to the criminal complaint, Leech also allegedly admitted to being in possession of an active Facebook account. Under West Virginia State Code 15-12-8, the Facebook account, as well as the name of the internet provider must be registered with the W.Va. State Police along with Leech’s residence.
The complaint alleges that, during the months of July, August, September, October, November and part of Dec. 2020, Leech, as a convicted sex offender, did “knowingly, willingly and feloniously” fail to register the required information with the Lewisburg Detachment of the West Virginia State Police.
