A South Carolina man who was wanted by police on child pornography charges and was arrested here in September has been indicted in federal court.
Douglas B. Bishop, 50, was indicted on Tuesday, November 6 on a failure to register as a sex offender charge.
Bishop had moved to the Great Cacapon area in May but had not registered as a sex offender with the West Virginia State Police.
Bishop was convicted of a crime in Union County, South Carolina that required him to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Cpl. S. Smith of the West Virginia State Police arrested Bishop near Paw Paw on September 19 after noticing the 1990 truck he was driving had “antique plates” and no inspection sticker. During the stop, Cpl. Smith was able to determine that Bishop was wanted through the national crime database for 17 counts of sexual exploitation in South Carolina. Police in that state issue a “be on the lookout” for Bishop in late December 2017.
Bishop allegedly told police here that he had taken a job and moved to Morgan County in part to escape prosecution for the South Carolina charges.
United States Attorney Bill Powell said the federal charges pertain to Bishop failing to register as a sex offender in Morgan County from May to September 2018.
Bishop faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara K. Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The United States Marshal Service and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
