GA man charged with child sex crimes in Washington faces another investigation, feds say
Court documents from last week allege that a Georgia man arrested for child sex crimes in Washington state had previously been investigated on allegations that he inappropriately touched other minors, and the Houston County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to The Telegraph that it had investigated him.
Kade Garrett Randall, 28, faces charges of attempting to entice a minor and child pornography distribution in Washington after he allegedly traveled from Georgia to meet someone he thought was a young girl, but it turned out to be federal investigators.
Randall was arrested and held in jail in Washington, but has been allowed by a judge to be released from custody, court records say. Prosecutors filed court records seeking to keep him detained, but a judge ruled last week that he can be released on bond, with restrictions that limit him to Middle Georgia and Washington only.
An officer with Homeland Security Investigations had been investigating online chat rooms frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children, according to court records. Randall contacted the agent’s profile to inquire about someone thought he thought was the messenger’s daughter, asking about the girl’s age, and gave graphic details of what he would do to the child, according to court records.
From then on, the messages escalated to the point Randall flew across the country to meet the young girl, but was then arrested by HSI.
Prosecutor argued an alleged ‘pattern of child exploitation’
Since his first appearance in Seattle on Nov. 14, federal prosecutors and Randall’s public defenders have gone back and forth on whether Randall should be released from detention during the case’s proceedings. Despite Judge Brian Tscuchida ruling on Nov. 19 that Randall be released from custody, with his travel being restricted to the Western District of Washington and the Middle District of Georgia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hampton appealed the decision.
In the appeal, Hampton explains that Randall should not be released from prison, considering that, despite the lack of criminal history, he had “been engaged in a pattern of child exploitation for years.”
Randall had allegedly abused two young girls and had taken exploitative images of them while they slept, according to the court record.
While The Telegraph has been unable to confirm if Randall lives in Middle Georgia Lt. Darin Meadows of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday that the department’s Juvenile Division is investigating the case referenced by prosecutors.
However, Randall doesn’t have a criminal record, and his attorneys argued in court documents that his lack of prior charges should be favorable for him being released. He is a college graduate with a degree in computer sciences, is employed at an online software company, is married and has lived in Georgia for over 10 years, according to court records filed by his attorneys.
But prosecutors wrote in their efforts to have him remain in jail that his clean record and strong ties to his home community didn’t prevent his alleged offenses.
“What’s more, Randall’s community ties, employment record, and lack of criminal history did nothing to prevent him from committing the instant offenses nor curtail his years-long consumption of (child sex abuse material),” Hampton said in his appeal. “That he got caught will not change things other than perhaps incentivizing him to take even greater care to evade detection.”
Randall’s public defenders, J. Leonardo Costales and Corey Endo, argued that the conditions imposed by Tsuchida were restrictive, requiring Randall not to go to locations where minors are present or use electronics without approval. They argued these restrictions were enough to ensure the community remains safe if Randall is released.
Judge John Chun ruled Dec. 4 that Hampton failed to convince him that Randall would be a danger to the community once released from custody. Though it is possible that Randall could access the internet through a “secret device” and “wreak havoc,” which prosecutors argued was possible, it would be unlikely, Chun wrote.
Randall’s attorneys have not responded to questions about whether he has returned to Houston County after his release from prison. But his attorneys did write in court records that his plan was to return to his home in Georgia, which was evaluated and approved by officials.
What sentence is he facing?
Randall faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for his attempted enticement of a minor charge. For his distribution of child pornography charge, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, according to court records.
