The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:20 PM

Blount County Sex Offender Arrested For Raping 17-Year Old Girl

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (SOURCE: WVLT) -- The Blount County Sheriff's Office said Thursday a registered sex offender had been taken into custody and charged with rape after an investigation into the rape of a 17-year-old girl.

Frank Delmar Raines, Jr., 50, of Maryville, was taken to the Blount County Correction Facility on $110,000 in total bonds. Raines was charged with rape as well as violation of the sex offender registry.

Investigators began looking into Raines in mid-October after BCSO said the mother of a 17-year-old girl filed a report detailing Raines' continued contact with her daughter. The report said Raines had continually been telling the girl she was pretty and expressed interest in beginning a relationship with her.

As officials continued the investigation, the victim revealed the suspect had forcibly raped her in September.

BCSO said Raines' criminal history is lengthy and includes simple and aggravated assault, evading arrest, drug possession, harassment, reckless endangerment, criminal trespassing, domestic violence, indecent exposure, theft, aggravated burglary and vandalism.

Raines was originally out on bond from an April incident involving his purchase of a vehicle and failure to report it to the sex offender registry.

Raines was originally put on the sex offender registry in 2005 after he was charged with sexual battery of a woman in Sevier County.

Raines will appear in the Blount County General Sessions Court at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 for the charges of violating the sex offender registry, and he will appear at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 to face the rape charge.