The Road to Restoration
This section outlines Eric’s legal history, sharing his past and current status.
At 17, Eric enlisted in the U.S. Army, completing his training successfully. However, just weeks before joining his unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was caught using drugs and subsequently discharged with a General Under Honorable Conditions status.
Returning to his hometown, Eric, then 19 and working in construction, struggled with substance abuse. One night at a party, he had consensual sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl, unaware of her age, leading to serious legal consequences.
Eric was sentenced to 10 years in the Georgia State Prison system. He served approximately 19 months before being released on parole in 2006 for good behavior. During his incarceration, Eric underwent a significant personal transformation. He attended church for the first time, engaged in deep self-reflection, and immersed himself in studying business, college-level coursework, and biblical teachings. Upon his release, he was required to register as a sex offender.
Eric became a valued and productive member of his community, building a successful business, marrying, and starting a family. Recognizing his rehabilitation, the sentencing judge ordered Eric’s release from probation and all related requirements. However, despite the court order, the Georgia Sexual Offender Review Board refused to remove him from the Sex Offender Registry, prolonging his legal battle.
Eric and his family relocated to Texas, where he remained fully compliant with the state’s registry requirements.
While vacationing with his family in Florida, Eric adhered to compliance regulations by reporting to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, even though their stay was only three days. Despite this, Florida placed Eric on its permanent registry, even though he was not a resident of the state.
Eric’s status on the registry has long subjected his businesses, wife, and children to threats and harassment. When his children enrolled in a prestigious private school in Texas, the bullying escalated to an intolerable level, ultimately forcing the family to withdraw the children and pursue alternative educational options.
After 19 years, Eric achieved a significant legal victory upon returning to Georgia, when a court ordered his removal from the state’s Sex Offender Registry in the same county where he was originally convicted. This marked a pivotal milestone in his journey of restoration and represented the culmination of years of prayer, perseverance, and legal advocacy.
Eric made a donation to a GoFundMe legal fund in support of Donald Trump. His contribution, which was the top donation for 48 hours, drew widespread public attention and backlash. This included a surge of hate-filled social media posts and direct threats from far-left activists. The controversy escalated into a viral smear campaign, during which links to Eric’s Florida registry status and past mugshot were publicly circulated.
While Eric has successfully been removed from both the Georgia and Federal Sex Offender Registries, efforts are now focused on addressing his recent requirement to register in Idaho, alongside ongoing challenges in Florida and Texas—highlighting how states have differing laws on sex offender registration, with some not honoring Georgia’s removal order. Florida has agreed to remove Eric from its registry but deferred action pending resolution in Texas, where he is currently listed as a lifetime registrant. Legal efforts are actively underway to resolve these remaining challenges and complete Eric’s journey toward full legal restoration.