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Greencastle man pleads guilty to sexual misconduct with minor
Arrested nearly a year ago, a 31-year-old Greencastle man has pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor, a Class C felony that will see him serve three years in prison and be listed on the sex offender registry for the next 10 years.
Christopher L. Pate appeared before Judge Denny Bridges in Putnam Superior Court Wednesday afternoon for a change-of-plea and sentencing hearing.
Pate admitted to having sexual intercourse with a then-15-year-old Greencastle girl "numerous times over a three-month period," according to court documents.
The incidents reportedly occurred between Dec. 12, 2013 and March 8, 2014.
Accepting the guilty plea, Judge Bridges sentenced Pate, who was represented by Indianapolis attorney Michael Shavers, to five years is prison with three years executed time in the Department of Correction. The court dismissed two misdemeanor counts (contributing to the delinquency of a minor) against Pate in the process.
Pate will receive 267 days credit for the time spent in the Putnam County Jail and be on probation for two years once released. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim who is now 16.
Putnam County Prosecutor Timothy Bookwalter reminded the defendant that "this is a crime for which you have to register as a sex offender for 10 years. I wanted to make sure you were aware of that."
Bookwalter explained that the victim, who refused to testify in court, was aware of the plea agreement that resulted in Pate's admission to the lesser-included Class C felony instead of the Class B charge that had been filed. The victim's parents also support it, the prosecutor said.
Pate asked to address the court and apologized publicly to the victim and her family as well as to his own family.
"I realize what I did was wrong," he said. "I accept the terms and I'm ready to do my sentence and get out and be a productive person."
The sexual misconduct case came to light on March 9, 2014 when the victim's mother reported her missing. She told police her daughter had befriended Pate and they had developed a romantic relationship and were possibly together.
Greencastle Police Officer Ed Wilson subsequently found the couple in the backseat of a car parked in the lot at Millpond Health Campus on the city's East Side. Ordering the couple out of the vehicle, the officer noticed the suspect had a "hickey-type bruise" on his neck and his pants were undone. It also appeared the two had been drinking, the probable cause affidavit indicated.
Police questioning later revealed Pate knew the victim was only 15 because he had lived with her sister in Fillmore four to six months prior to beginning the illicit relationship with the minor.
The victim told police their intimate relationship began in December 2013 at a Budget Motel in Champaign, Ill. The sexual encounters continued at the residences of two acquaintances of Pate and elsewhere, court records show.