TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man has been charged with capital sexual battery, accused of molesting and taking nude photos of a young child multiple times.
Austin S. Bates, 34, was booked into the Leon County Detention Center on Wednesday. No bond was listed in court documents, and he remained in jail Friday.
On Sept. 25, the 11-year-old victim's mother learned that the victim had been "raped" and photographed naked by Bates, according to a probable cause document. The mother called the Tallahassee Police Department, and a Child Protection Team Case agent conducted a forensic interview.
The victim said that on Sept. 11, when the victim and Bates were alone, Bates told the victim he wanted to do a "photo shoot," the court document said.
Bates then took photos of the victim naked and in various poses, the investigator wrote, before molesting the victim and forcing the victim to touch him in a sexual manner.
Investigators also obtained a search warrant for Bates' cellphone, the court document said. When they reached out to Bates, he declined to speak with investigators, the court document said.
Based on the evidence, Bates has been charged with capital sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation.
