MARION COUNTY, Fla. – An Ocala man has now been convicted after he raped a child last year, according to the State Attorney’s Office on Monday.
In a release, officials with Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit announced that a school resource officer was tipped off to the incident back in October.
“The deputy met with the victim, who provided written notes detailing the incidents that occurred,” the release reads. “After reading the notes, the deputy spoke with the victim, who confirmed the details of the abuse committed by (the suspect) just two days prior.”
The child further explained that the man — identified as Donald Gates, 43 — would try to entice the victim, such as “that the victim would get more things by doing what he tells the victim to do,” investigators noted.
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Per the release, the victim told detectives that Gates had given the child $100 as a “reward” or “bribe” before committing sex acts on the child via brute force.
“After the sexual battery occurred, the victim stated that the vehicle they were in got stuck in the sand, and the defendant had to call a friend to get the vehicle out,” the release continues. “The victim provided law enforcement with the $100 bill the defendant gave to them.”
Detectives said that witnesses who’d responded that night to help with the stuck vehicle had told law enforcement they thought it was strange that Gates was at the wooded location alone with the child during that time.
Cell phone records, text messages, and DNA samples from the victim’s underwear were also used as evidence against Gates, who was ultimately arrested and charged, detectives added.
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On April 9, Gates was found guilty on the following charges:
- Human trafficking of a child for commercial sexual activity
- Lewd or lascivious molestation of a child
- Engaging in an act that constitutes sexual battery on a child between 12 and 18 years of age by a person in familial or custodial authority
On Monday, State Attorney Bill Gladson revealed that Gates had been sentenced to life in prison, as required by law.
“My office, along with our law enforcement partners, has a zero-tolerance policy for human trafficking and crimes committed against children,” Gladson said. “This despicable defendant, who held a position of trust, harmed an innocent child. With this sentence, he will not be able to harm another child.”