MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Marysville, Washington man has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for traveling to West Virginia to have sex with a child.
Nathaniel James Davis, age 34, was sentenced today by Chief Judge Thomas Kleeh after having previously pled guilty to interstate travel with intent to engage in sexual act with a minor, and commission of a felony offense involving a minor by a sex offender. According to court documents and statements made in court, Davis, a registered sex offender, began an online relationship with a 13-year-old from Barbour County. Davis then traveled from Washington state to West Virginia to meet with the child for sex but was intercepted by law enforcement.
Davis was required to register as a sex offender because of his conviction for communication with a minor for sexual contact and child pornography charges in Whatcom County Superior Court in Bellingham, Washington in 2016.
In a separate case, Maurice Monroe Cato, III, age 49, of Gerrardstown, West Virginia, was sentenced to 10 years for possession of child pornography. According to court documents and statements made in court, Cato was posting and sharing child pornography. A search of Cato’s phone revealed more than 600 images along with videos of minors, including children under the age of five. U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner prosecuted the Davis case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett prosecuted the Cato case.
The West Virginia State Police investigated both cases.