‘Glad he was arrested’: Neighbors react to child porn charge brought against New Hampshire pastor
According to court documents, a New Hampshire pastor has been charged with multiple counts of having child pornography after a five-year investigation.
Stephen Bates, 46, was detained by Nashua police on March 15. The pastor of the Bible Baptist Church is being jailed on $3,000 cash bond after being charged with five charges of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
“I think this case is particularly concerning because he is a pastor and somebody that’s involved in the community here,” Nashua Police Lt. Brian Trefry told WHDH.
The Nashua Police Department has been continuing to investigate Bates since 2016, when it got 14 tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saying that a person at the church posted CSAM from an IP address associated with the church.
In October 2017, police approached Bates personally and inquired as to whether he was aware of any potential suspects. Bates allegedly stated to officials that he was unaware of any suspects and that the church’s doors are usually left unsecured.
“Pastor Bates was considered a person of interest during the earlier investigations but until [March 15] there wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge him with any crimes,” the police department stated in a press release.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of Manchester, New Hampshire, received a referral in January 2019 from HSI Colorado, which was launching an investigation into online child sexual exploitation. Instagram and The Onion Router (Tor) accounts both referred to the Bible Baptist Church’s main office.
Between 2019 and 2021, the Nashua Police Department received further tips pointing to the Bible Baptist Church office. Police obtained a federal search warrant and combed through electronic equipment in the church, particularly Bates’ personal phone, but made no significant discoveries. Bates maintained his denials that he had never viewed child pornography.
Ultimately, in 2021, an investigator initiated an undercover communication with a user whose account name matched those provided by earlier tips. Eventually, one exchange “included child sexual exploitation.” Police connected the accounts — which were engaged in the possession, distribution, and production of CSAM — to Bates in February 2022.
On March 15, police conducted a search warrant and made contact with Bates, who supplied them with two usb drives from his back pocket. According to the affidavit, the USBs included various images of child sex abuse.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the Nashua Police Department’s crime line at 603-589-1665.
Source: FOX News
