Kanawha County Woman Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Misty Dawn Baisden, 48, of St. Albans and a convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty today to failing to update her registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about September 17, 2025, through on or about October 30, 2025, Baisden failed to report that she had begun working at a St. Albans business.

Baisden is required to register as a sex offender because of her conviction for conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of a minor in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on October 19, 2017.

Baisden is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.

SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-2.

###