A registered sex offender who listed his most recent address as Olney, Illinois, has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison after admitting to distributing child pornography and obscene material to a minor. The sentence was reported on Friday.
Reports out of Wabash County say 57 year old Edward J. Bates pled guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of distributing child pornography, two counts of attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor, and one count of offense by a registered sex offender. A district judge sentenced Bates to federal prison, and he will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life.
Court records showed Bates distributed child porn in Richland County on January 26, 2022, and in April 2023, transferred sexually explicit material to a ten-year-old minor. On June 4, 2024 he was found to be in possession of ammunition and two firearms as a felon.
Agencies contributing to the investigation included the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri Highway Patrol, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.