Former Fayette County Deputy Sheriff Sentenced For Child Sex Trafficking
Saturday, December 21, 2024, 10:15 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
CHARLESTON, W.VA.- On Thursday, in an ultimate betrayal of public trust and the oath he swore to uphold, a 58-year-old former West Virginia Police Chief was sentenced to basically the remainder of his life in federal prison for paying a woman to rape her 17-year-old female family member, not once, but twice. The ex-chief will now get to spend the next two-and-half decades with individuals he may have put in prison.
On Thursday, December 19, 2024, Larry Allen Clay, Jr., 58, of Fayetteville, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph R. Goodwin to 300 months in federal prison, to be immediately followed by ten years of supervised release for his convictions on child sex trafficking and obstruction offenses.
In handing down the sentence on Thursday, in addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Goodwin ordered Clay to pay $80,000 in restitution to his victim and register as a sex offender.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to U.S. Attorney Will Thompson, Clay was the Chief of Police for the Gauley Bridge Police Department and a Deputy with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department at the time he committed the offenses. Evidence presented at trial proved that Clay paid a total of $100 to co-defendant Kristen Naylor-Legg to have sexual intercourse with her 17-year-old female relative on two separate occasions in June 2020.
During both incidents, Clay wore his Gauley Bridge Police uniform, badge, duty belt, and service issue firearm. The first sexual assault took place in Clay’s Gauley Bridge-issued police vehicle on a rural Fayette County road. The second sexual assault took place inside the former Gauley Bridge High School in a basement office reserved for members of the Gauley Bridge Police Department. During the investigation, Detectives were able to recover DNA evidence from a washcloth that was discarded in the office.
Following the 17-year-old girl coming forward and reporting both assaults, Clay tried to persuade Naylor-Legg to lie to Detectives about what happened. Clay also asked a Detective if there was any of his criminal conduct could be covered up.
On April 28, 2023, following a four-day trial in U.S. District Court, a jury found Clay guilty of Conspiracy to Engage In the Sex Trafficking of a Minor Through Coercion and Inducement and two counts of Obstruction of Justice.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson Remarks On Sentencing
“Today’s sentence reflects the incalculable harm Larry Clay, Jr. inflicted on his minor victim, his community, and the public’s trust in law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Will Thompson. “He failed his oath to protect the public and uphold the law. But Clay also failed to anticipate his victim’s courage. Despite everything she endured, she came forward. Because of this survivor’s bravery and resolve, he was brought to justice.”
Clay’s co-conspirator, Naylor-Legg, 31, of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison on August 31, 2023, after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking of a Minor Under the Age of 18.
Members of the public are urged to report suspected instances of child sex trafficking through a toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or online at www.ice.gov/tips.
