NH - Pastor Steven Bates, 46, charged with possessing child 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬, Nashua, 18 Mar 2022

[Bishop Black]

A New Hampshire pastor has been charged with multiple counts of possessing child after a five-year investigation, according to court documents.

Nashua police arrested Stephen Bates, 46, on March 15. The Bible Baptist Church pastor is now facing five counts of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and is being held on $3,000 cash bail.

The Nashua Police Department has been investigating Bates since 2016, when the department received 14 tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alleging that a user at the church had uploaded CSAM from an IP address leading back to the church.

Finally, in 2021, a detective began an undercover conversation with a user who was using an account name similar to those police had received in earlier tips. Eventually, one conversation "included the sexual exploitation of children." In February 2022, police linked the accounts — which were involved in the possession, distribution and manufacturing of CSAM — to Bates.

 

[mpnola]

$3,000?!?! Some of my car repairs cost more than that. And 5 years to victimize more children? Why do we act like these crimes are no big deal? PROTECT THE CHILDREN!!!!

 

[katydid23]

My thoughts exactly, mpnola.

His bail was 3000? Why bother giving him any bail amount if it is going to be that low?

And WHY does it take FIVE freakin years to arrest someone for child ---especially someone in position to have close contact with children?

 

[Bishop Black]

Apparently they did let him out on bail, and ordered him not to use the internet or have any contact with children:

NH Pastor Accused Of Viewing Child Is Out On Bail

 

[Bishop Black]

My thoughts exactly, mpnola.

His bail was 3000? Why bother giving him any bail amount if it is going to be that low?

And WHY does it take FIVE freakin years to arrest someone for child ---especially someone in position to have close contact with children?

The article claims that law enforcement was able to track the online activity to computers in the church, but had difficulty pinning it on a specific individual. (Probably because the computers were used by multiple people).

 

[mpnola]

I've been watching Undercover Underage. Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm. They even said on the episode today that had the guy not been caught sending EXTREMELY graphic, pornographic videos to ANOTHER minor while waiting on trial for the first he was arrested for, he likely would have gotten a slap on the wrist. We are only teaching our children that abuse of them isn't really that bad. It's horrible.

 

[Twick]

We unfortunately have a society that rewards or punishes people for what they ARE (well-off, respectable, professing Christian) rather than what they DO (steal, abuse children, sexual assault.)

 

[mpnola]

We unfortunately have a society that rewards or punishes people for what they ARE (well-off, respectable, professing Christian) rather than what they DO (steal, abuse children, sexual assault.)

So true!! Rather than who they really are

 

[modesty blaise]

5 year investigation and $3 000 bail.
Somebody is not taking children being victimize seriously.

 

[moonriverfarm]

Two types of criminals cannot be rehabilitated. Arsonists and child predators.

 

[borndem]

$3,000?!?! Some of my car repairs cost more than that. And 5 years to victimize more children? Why do we act like these crimes are no big deal? PROTECT THE CHILDREN!!!!

$3,000, huh?! Why bother? Damm. What's the bond for 2 ounces of pot? SMH. How many people are already lined up to say that there's no way this pastor could have done this?
Let's hope there's good solid evidence and a hell-bent-for-leather prosecutor. Grrrrrr.

 

[Ebon]

Judge tears into ex-pastor who had 40,000 images of child sexual abuse material

"You used the word 'horrified,' and that's an excellent word, because these were horrific crimes, and you should be horrified," the judge said.

lawandcrime.com

A now-former Baptist pastor was sentenced to well over a decade in a New Hampshire prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to charges related to child sexual abuse materials.

Stephen Bates, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of the manufacture of child sexual abuse images and 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse images. He was arrested in March 2022 on one count of possession of such images. Over time, he was indicted on 12 separate counts and faced a combined 240 years in prison.

In exchange for his plea, Bates was sentenced to 10 to 23 years behind bars for the manufacturing charge. He received a sentence of seven-and-a-half to 15 years behind bars for the possession charges.