Revocation sends sex offender back to prison

James Swift, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·2 min read

Nov. 27—A probation revocation hearing resulted in a convicted child molester being sent back to prison in Whitfield County Superior Court on Tuesday, Nov 21.

Conasauga Judicial Circuit Judge Scott Minter ordered defendant Gary Allen Grayson, 36, to spend the balance of his sentence — totaling almost six years — behind bars.

Grayson was sentenced to 20 years — with eight years to serve in confinement and the remainder on probation — after pleading guilty to one count of child molestation in 2011.

"On or about Sept. 20, 2020, he did commit the offense of felony terroristic threats and on that date he did further violate special conditions of his probation," said Conasauga Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Christina Antalis. "He did admit to ingesting methamphetamine, in violation of special conditions, and also, possessing a weapon."

Grayson was represented by public defender Gregory Washington during Tuesday's proceedings.

"Mr. Grayson, back in 2020, pled on the case that was the underlying case," Washington told the court. "He accepted the responsibility then and even asked for a plea before the case was even taken to grand jury — at that point, on the new case, he was given three years to run concurrent with whatever happens with the probation revocation."

However, Washington said that Grayson's probation revocation hearing did not happen immediately.

"Mr. Grayson then went to prison from March 4, 2021, to Sept. 12 of this year," he continued. "Mr. Grayson is asking that the court sentence him to an additional year in custody and restore him to probation — it would be a total of four years, if you include the three years he served."

Probation representatives, however, requested that the balance of Grayson's sentence be revoked.

The defendant was initially placed on probation in 2008 after being convicted of terroristic threats.

Following the child molestation conviction, Grayson was released from incarceration in 2017.

Less than three months later, a probation representative indicated Grayson was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender. That produced another two-year prison stay.

"That balance, as of today's date, is five years, 11 months and 14 days," Minter noted.