A Chattanooga man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with an infant, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Dennis Allen Gaal, 50, pleaded guilty to traveling from Mississippi to Chattanooga in December 2023 intending to sexually molest a 10-month-old child. He was already a convicted sex offender in Mississippi.
When Gaal arrived in Chattanooga, he was arrested and has been in custody since his arrest.
On Friday, Judge Travis R. McDonough sentenced Gaal and called for supervised release for life after incarceration. He will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions during his supervised release, according to the news release.
The statement described Gaal’s online discussions with an undercover agent that the sexual abuse would be “a dream come true.” He traveled with intended gifts including Christmas outfits, a stuffed animal and a rattle.
— Compiled by Cassandra Castillo