BATES
By William Moore
Daily Journal
TUPELO – A Lee County man, already in federal prison on sex charges, has been returned to Tupelo to face state charges.
William Lee Bates, 43, formerly of 459 Barnes Crossing Road, Saltillo, pleaded guilty in federal court in December 2012 to a single count of using a cell phone to entice a 14-year-old girl to have sex with him and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
“We started pursuing the state charges against him and got a court date,” said Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson. “He was in federal custody up in Lexington, Kentucky. So we went up and got him so he could appear in court in Lee County. When the court appearance is over, we will take him back.”
Bates is charged with three counts of sexual battery, stemming from the incidents that led to his initial arrest in April 2012. Bates, 39 at the time, allegedly enticed a 14-year-old neighbor into a sexual affair that lasted several months. It ended when the girl’s mother found suggestive text messages from Bates on her daughter’s phone.
Under Mississippi Code, if convicted, Bates could face up to 30 years on each of the sexual battery charges.
william.moore@journalinc.com