Evergreen Reporter

A registered sex offender from Missouri has been sentenced to over 19 years in prison. Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence.

Jayson Lance Luther, aged 32, met a minor child at a holiday event in Dyersburg, Tennessee, in December 2022. They exchanged phone numbers and began texting each other. In January 2023, the child's parent discovered the messages and reported them to police. The investigation revealed over 1,200 pages of messages between Luther and the minor child, many of which were sexually explicit.

On August 13, 2024, Luther pled guilty to knowingly enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced him to 235 months in federal prison followed by ten years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

“We are committed to protecting all citizens of this District, but most importantly the young and vulnerable,” said Acting United States Attorney Fondren. “This sentence is a reflection of the seriousness of this offense, and we will continue to work to ensure that dangerous perpetrators see justice.”

Danny H. Goodman Jr., District Attorney General for the Twenty-Ninth Judicial District of Tennessee who assigned Andrew Hays as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District stated: “The partnership that the Twenty-Ninth Judicial District of Tennessee has established with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee has been invaluable for the citizens of our district. This case is a perfect example of this collaboration which allows us to remove dangerous individuals from our communities to keep our citizens and children safe.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Dyersburg Police Department investigated this case.

Acting United States Attorney Reagan Fondren thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Hays for prosecuting as well as law enforcement partners involved.