Nashua Baptist Pastor Arrested On Possessing Child Sex Abuse Image Charge

NAUSHA, NH — A pastor in Nashua was arrested on a felony possession of child sexual abuse images charge on Tuesday after a multi-year investigation.

Police said Stephen Bates, 46, of Caldwell Road in Nashua was charged after an investigation started in 2016 based on a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. At that time, police were told child pornography had been accessed by an electronic device using an Internet protocol address associated with Bible Baptist Church, where Bates is the pastor.

In 2017, “similar cybertips were received,” Lt. Brian Trefry of the Nashua Police Department said.

“All cybertips were investigated but the results were insufficient to support any criminal charges,” he said.

About two years later, Homeland Security Investigations in Denver, Colorado, conducted an online child sexual exploitation investigation targeting individuals producing and distributing child pornography. A suspect in that investigation shared child pornography with an unknown person through a social media site, Trefry said. The IP address used by the unknown individual was associated with the Bible Baptist Church, he claimed.

In Tallahassee, Florida, in 2020, police began an investigation there involving the publication of child pornography online. They also found the account that published images was connected to the church’s IP address, he said.

Last year, another investigation, this one also by Homeland Security Investigations in Blaine, Washington, involved sexual exploitation of a child, according to Trefry. The suspect of that investigation communicated with an unknown person through a social media site about their shared interest in “having sexual contact with children,” he said.

“The IP address utilized by the unknown individual was associated with the Bible Baptist Church,” Trefry said.

Since 2016, Bates “was contacted several times by investigators with the Nashua Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations” and was “considered a person of interest during the earlier investigations,” Trefry said. Until Tuesday, he added, there was never sufficient evidence to charge him with a crime.

A search warrant was issued on Tuesday and police accused Bates of possessing two flash drives which included numerous images of child sexual abuse images.

Bates was arrested with bail set at $3,000 cash. He is expected to be arraigned in Hillsborough County Superior Court South on Wednesday if he does not post bail. Trefry said, while Bates faces a single count, “more charges are expected as the investigation continues and more digital evidence is analyzed.”

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the Nashua Police Department Crime Line 603-589-1665.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Nashua Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.