Morgantown Sex Offender Sentenced For Traveling To Mexico To Buy A Child

Thursday, February 6, 2025, 11:10 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CLARKSBURG, W.VA.- A 43-year-old Morgantown, West Virginia, child predator, and sex offender will be spending the next decade in federal prison for failing to update his sex offender registration after he was arrested in Mexico for attempting to purchase a young child for his deviant sexual activities.

     On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, Scott David Bixler, 43, of Morgantown, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Kleeh to 120 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for his conviction of Failing to Update the Sexual Offender and Registration Notification Act.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard and charging documents filed with the District Court, Bixler is a convicted sex offender and is required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act for life. As part of his registration obligations, he is required to report a change in address, change in employment, and is required to report any international travel.

Bixler Fled To Mexico And Attempted To Buy A Young Girl

     In July 2023, Bixler fled to Mexico shortly before he was scheduled to appear in State Court for sentencing related to criminal convictions for failure to register as a sex offender under West Virginia law.

     When Bixler and his spouse were apprehended in Mexico, they possessed two pellet guns, an electronic cell phone jammer, and a large sum of cash. The investigation also uncovered that the Bixlers were attempting to purchase a young girl while in Mexico. Before they could buy the child, Mexican authorities thwarted their attempts and arrested the couple. 

     “The sentence handed down by the court ensures that the defendant will be confined in prison for the maximum time allowed by law,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bernard. “I shudder to think what might have happened but for the dedication of AUSA Perri, the federal and state law enforcement agencies, as well as the Mexican authorities. Our community and children are safer because of their efforts and the sentence imposed.”