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On Thursday, March 7, 2019, Johnathan Woodrow Ramsey, age 37, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Marvin Pope to serve a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for committing two counts of Second Degree Forcible Sexual Offense and one count of Disseminating Obscene Material to a Minor.
In August of 2017, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation regarding a suspected sexual relationship between Ramsey and an underage female. Madison County Department of Social Services originally received a complaint about the suspected relationship from a concerned third-party before turning the investigation over to the Sheriff’s Department. Further interviews not only substantiated that Ramsey had engaged in sexual acts with a 13 year old, but also that Ramsey had sent a nude picture of himself to the juvenile’s cell phone. Ramsey was charged and placed under arrest by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
Judge Pope, at Ramsey’s sentencing hearing, issued a permanent no-contact order, disallowing Ramsey any contact with the victim or the victim’s family. Additionally, Judge Pope ordered Ramsey complete sex offender treatment, mental health assessments and counseling, as well as substance abuse counseling while in custody. Upon his release from the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, Ramsey will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
“Predators like Mr. Ramsey simply have no place in our community,” District Attorney Seth Banks said in a statement. “Unfortunately the effects of the emotional scars that Ramsey has left on his victim will last even longer than the defendant’s prison sentence. I would like to thank Assistant District Attorney John Honeycutt for his hard work on this case. I would also like to thank the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Madison County Department of Social Services for their roles in the successful investigation and prosecution of this case.”
