Attorney General's News Release

March 12, 2009

Raytown man committed as sexually violent predator

Kansas City, Mo. - A Jackson County Judge on Mar. 11 found Michael J. Ashlaw to be a sexually violent predator (SVP) and committed him to the Missouri Sexual Offender Treatment Center in Farmington, Attorney General Chris Koster announced. The judgment and commitment order was signed by Circuit Court Judge Kathleen A Forsyth.

The Attorney General's Office pursued the commitment of Ashlaw, 54, as an SVP after he completed a 5-year prison sentence. He pleaded guilty and was convicted in 2006 for sodomy and sexual abuse of a 5-year-old girl.

"We must do everything possible to ensure that those that would prey on children are not given the opportunity to destroy another child's life," Koster said. "Keeping those likely to commit further sexually violent acts out of the community both protects our citizens and allows for treatment for the offender."

Those committed by the court as sexually violent predators go into the custody of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. They have the right to have their cases reviewed annually to determine if their mental abnormality has changed, making them unlikely to commit further acts of sexual violence if released.

Currently, there are 124 sexually violent predators committed in Missouri. Commitments are handled by the Public Safety Division in Koster's office.