Sex offender accused of having sex bing with teen runaways

“Age was just a number,” is what a Lawton sex offender told one of four teen runaways from a group home during a drug and sex binge that put him behind bars, according to police.

Anthony Garland, 38, of Lawton, made his initial appearance Tuesday in Comanche County District Court where he received felony charges of two counts of lewd molestation, two counts of second-degree rape, and misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and harboring a runaway child, records indicate.

Garland also was charged separately for a felony count of failure to register as a sex offender.

Lawton police began investigating Garland after four teen girls: 13, 14, 15 and 16 years old, ran away from Parker Pointe Group Home on Dec. 2, 2023. The girls met Garland in the 900 block of Southwest 7th Street and walked with him to a house where they smoked marijuana he’d given them while he smoked methamphetamine, the probable cause affidavit states.

The 14-year-old told Garland her age and that they were runaways, Detective Abe Woelfel stated. Garland responded that “age was just a number and that it was OK” as he touched her and had her sit on his lap, the affidavit states.

Garland is accused of having sex with the girl and the 15-year-old girl at his home at 907 SW 7th on different occasions, Woelfel stated. He gave both girls meth and let them stay the night with him, according to the affidavit.

After being arrested for being an unregistered sex offender, Garland spoke with the detective. He admitted to all the allegations and told Woelfel he felt guilty while having sex with the 14-year-old “but had continued anyway,” the affidavit states.

Garland has been convicted three times for failure to register as a sex offender, records indicate. He has been serving a seven-year suspended sentence since pleading guilty in November 2023 and is now slated for a revocation review.

Held on $500,000 bond, with the order to have no contact with the alleged victims for the latest charges, he also received another $10,000 bond for the failure to register as a sex offender charge. Garland returns to court at 3 p.m. Jan. 29 for his preliminary hearing conferences, records indicate.