ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging a Washington man with failure to register as a sex offender and as a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Dylan Scott Valin, 31, fled active felony warrants issued in the State of Washington for Burglary in the First Degree and Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.  According to the affidavit supporting the complaint, the United States Marshals Service learned of Valin’s whereabouts after he sent emails to friends in custody in Washington, advising them he was fleeing Washington to commercial fish in Alaska because “they don’t extradite.” 

Deputy United States Marshals then searched for commercial fishing licenses issued by the State of Alaska and ascertained that Valin was residing in Craig, Alaska, where he was ultimately apprehended without incident.   

Valin was indicted for one count of failure to register as a sex offender in violation of 18 U.S.C. §2250(a) and one count of being a felon in possession in violation of 18 U.S.C. §924(g). The defendant made his initial court appearance on May 23, 2023, before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Scoble of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska and United States Marshal Rob Heun made the announcement.

The United States Marshals are investigating the case with the assistance of the Alaska State Troopers.  Law enforcement urges anyone with knowledge of Valin’s activities to contact the USMS.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Original source can be found here.