Grant, Oklahoma Man Sentenced to Over 3 Years for Failure to Register as Sex Offender

A 38-year-old Choctaw County resident, identified as Christopher Edward Downey of Grant, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender. Following his prison term, Downey will be under supervised release for five years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced.

Downey had previously pleaded guilty to the charge on April 15. His conviction stems from a 2011 sentence in Texas, where he was found guilty on four counts of Sexual Assault of a Child. Since then, he was required to register every ninety days and notify law enforcement within seven days of changes in residence. An investigation by the United States Marshal Service unveiled that from June 2022 to October 3, 2023, Downey failed to abide by these laws after moving to Oklahoma, residing at various addresses within the Eastern District's jurisdiction.

Chief Judge Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, serving by assignment, oversaw Downey's sentencing in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Downey is currently held by the U.S. Marshal and will soon be transported to a designated federal prison facility. At the sentencing, the government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Wittlinger, according to the same press release.