A former Itasca police officer was sentenced to three consecutive life terms after a Johnson County jury found him guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material and soliciting a minor online, according to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office.
Daniel Joseph Bates was convicted on Wednesday in the 413th District Court. In addition to the three life sentences, he received a 40-year sentence for online solicitation of a minor. The solicitation sentence will run concurrently with the life terms.
Bates Caught in Undercover Operation
Bates was arrested by the Texas Rangers after communicating online with someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl.
The person was actually an adult working with a civilian predator-catching group. The group shared Bates’ communications with law enforcement, leading to his arrest and an investigation into his electronic devices.
A search warrant executed at Bates’ residence uncovered nearly 300 photos and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, according to prosecutors.
Bates was a reserve officer at the time of his arrest and was working in construction security.
Former Officer Claimed Police Investigation
During the trial, Bates testified that he had the images and videos as part of what he claimed was a secret police investigation involving human trafficking. Prosecutors said Bates was unable to substantiate that explanation.
Johnson County District Attorney Timothy Good said Bates attempted to use his law enforcement background after being arrested.
“He actually tried to play the badge thing,” Good told Fox 4 KDFW.
The material recovered from Bates’ electronic devices was presented to jurors during the trial.
Predator Catcher Alerted Authorities
The adult decoy who communicated with Bates said the former officer made comments indicating that he routinely carried a gun.
The decoy, Arlind Queriman, said that information contributed to his decision to turn the communications over to law enforcement rather than confront Bates himself.
“Some people say we’re vigilantes. Vigilantes beat up these people. I hand everything over to law enforcement,” Queriman said, per Fox 4.
Prosecutors Praise Jury and Law Enforcement
Assistant District Attorney Christy May said Bates’ law enforcement badge should have represented a commitment to protecting children rather than facilitating their exploitation.
“The badge was supposed to be a shield for children — not a shield for a predator,” May said in a news release.
Good also praised the jurors and law enforcement personnel who worked on the case, noting the difficulty of reviewing and presenting the evidence at trial.
“I want to thank the jury and law enforcement for the emotional toll they had to endure to bring us justice in this case. The images and videos that had to be processed and presented to the jury are indescribable in the level of depravity they depict and the degree of deviance of the defendant who voluntarily possessed and viewed those types of images,” Good said in a news release. “Daniel Bates disgraced his badge and violated his oath and became the monster that he was sworn to protect the community from.”
“Our community is safer with Bates serving three consecutive life sentences,” he added.
The case was prosecuted in Johnson County and presided over by Justice Lee Gabriel.
Provided by Dallas Express
