A federal grand jury sitting in Nashville returned a two-count indictment charging Tad Cummins.
Cummins was indicted on charges of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual conduct and obstruction of justice.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith of the Middle District of Tennessee made the announcement Thursday afternoon.
Cummins was initially charged in a criminal complaint on April 20, 2017, after he was found in Cecilville, Calif. with the 15-year-old female victim. Cummins and the 15-year old had been the subject of a nationwide search by law enforcement, after leaving the Columbia, Tenn. area on March 13, 2017.
Cummins was served with an arrest warrant by FBI agents on Friday, April 21, 2017, while in the custody of the Siskiyou County, Calif. Sheriff. He appeared before a U.S. Magistrate in Sacramento, Calif. on April 24, 2017, and waived a detention hearing and was ordered transferred to the Middle District of Tennessee for further proceedings.
Cummins was returned to the Middle District of Tennessee on May 9 and appeared for a preliminary and detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes on May 12. Cummins was ordered to be held in custody to await action by the grand jury.
If convicted, Cummins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, up to life.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip Wehby and Sara Beth Myers.
An indictment merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
