A Philomath man faces up to 10 years in prison after a federal jury in Portland on Wednesday returned a guilty verdict in a failing to register as a sex offender case.
Daniel Lynn Goering-Runyan, 37, was found guilty of one count of failing to register as a sex offender in violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
According to court documents Goering-Runyan was sentenced in September 2014 to 12 to 15 years in Nebraska state prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl.
At his sentencing hearing, Goering-Runyan acknowledged, on the record, that his conviction would require him to register as a sex offender. He reviewed and signed five more notices of his sex-offender registration obligations while in prison. Upon his release from prison in September 2021, Goering-Runyan signed a certificate of service acknowledging his receipt of a letter from the Nebraska State Patrol advising him of his lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender.
Upon his release from prison, Goering-Runyan properly registered as a sex offender in Nebraska. Two months later, in late November 2021, he told Nebraska officials he was relocating to Houston, Texas. A Nebraska official told him to register as a sex offender with the sheriff in Houston within three days of his arrival. Goering-Runyan never registered. Three weeks later, he traveled by bus to Corvallis arriving on Christmas Day 2021.
Over the next four months, Goering-Runyan lived in several places in and around Corvallis. He properly obtained an Oregon Identification from the Department of Motor Vehicles in early May, declaring himself an Oregon resident, but never registered as a sex offender as required under Oregon and federal law.
On May 3, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Goering-Runyan with one count of failing to register as a sex offender. The following day, he was arrested by the Corvallis Police Department.
Failing to register as a sex offender is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison. Goering-Runyan will be sentenced on Nov. 30 by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Marco A. Hernández.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service in Portland and Omaha, Nebraska, with assistance from the Oregon State Police, the Corvallis and Philomath police departments, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Lancaster County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Bryan Chinwuba, assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon.
“The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is an important law enforcement tool that helps break cycles of victimization in our communities,” Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon said in a press release. “This case is a great example of the incredible work the U.S. Marshals Service does every day to locate and apprehend sex offenders who fail to register. Our communities are safer because of their dedication.”