A New Caney man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of child pornography possession and additional charges of drug possession and domestic violence.
On Sept. 18, Nicholas Aaron Bates 21, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after being found guilty of four counts of possession of child pornography.
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The case was presided over by Judge Mary Ann Turner. In addition to the child pornography charges, Bates also pleaded guilty to two felony drug charges and a misdemeanor assault charge related to family violence.
On July 18, 2022, Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a domestic violence call involving Bates. He was arrested near the scene, and during the arrest, deputies discovered several pounds of marijuana and THC in his vehicle.
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Bates was initially charged with assault family violence and drug-related offenses. However, a search of Bates’ cell phone, conducted by a Montgomery County Narcotics detective, revealed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, some involving very young victims.
The case was then referred to the Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for further investigation, leading to the additional charges.
After a short deliberation, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all four child pornography counts.
During the punishment phase, more evidence was presented, including testimony from a former girlfriend who recounted multiple instances of domestic violence involving Bates.
The jury heard disturbing jail phone calls where Bates made statements, such as, “I always have f***ing murder on my mind” and “If they could read my mind, they would never let me out.”
Judge Turner ordered Bates to serve the maximum of 10 years for each count of possession of child pornography consecutively, totaling 40 years in prison. He also received five years for each drug charge and one year for the Assault Family Violence charge, which will run concurrently.
Chief Prosecutor Chris Seufert described Bates as “a one-man crime wave” and praised the jury’s decision to ensure Bates would not be a danger to society for decades.
“This defendant was a one-man crime wave and a major menace to society. When he said that if we knew what he was thinking, we would never let him out of jail, we all believed him,” Seufert said. “And then we all did what needed to be done. A special thank you to Judge Turner and our common-sense Montgomery County jury for making sure this defendant will not be hurting anyone any time soon”
District Attorney Brett Ligon echoed these sentiments, calling Bates’ crimes “intentional, predatory, and depraved.”
“The defendant’s crimes were intentional, predatory and depraved. When he returns back to society, if he ever does, it will be a different world than when he went in,” Ligon said. “I hope that in three or four decades from now when he is paroled that he remembers how Montgomery County citizens care for their victims and deplore their victimizers.”