LITTLE ROCK- A Roland man has been convicted of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity after exchanging messages with an undercover investigator.
Cody Hiland, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced today that a federal jury has convicted Patrick Karl Tate, 57, of Roland. United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr., presided over the two-day trial, which concluded Tuesday with the jury verdict finding Tate guilty on the single count. Tate will be sentenced by Judge Moody at a later date.
Testimony during the trial established that in April of 2017, an undercover investigator with the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office saw an ad posted on Craigslist. The ad was located in a section of the website titled Casual Encounters, which an investigator testified is known for sex solicitations. The ad specified it was looking for “mother/daughter," and it asked for responses to be sent through KIK messenger, an online messaging service. The ad provided a KIK username: karlpatrick69. This was later identified to be the defendant, Patrick Karl Tate.
The undercover investigator sent a message to the KIK account, and the undercover exchanged messages with karlpatrick69 from April 9 to April 16, 2017. The messages, all of which were introduced at trial, indicated that the undercover officer was posing as an adult male with access to his girlfriend’s daughter, a 13-year-old child. In the messages, and in two recorded phone conversations that were played at trial, the undercover and Tate made plans to meet so that Tate could have sex with the 13-year-old child. In the messages, the undercover told Tate that he should bring at least three condoms. The two agreed to meet at a location in Greenbrier on April 16, 2017, which was Easter Sunday.
Evidence at trial further indicated that on April 16, 2017, Tate arrived at the agreed-upon location. He had three condoms. He was met by investigators from the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office, who arrested him. Tate was transported back to the major crimes unit, where he was read his rights and gave a statement. In his statement, Tate admitted to posting the Craigslist ad, admitted to having the conversations on KIK, admitted that karlpatrick69 was his screenname, and admitted that he knew the child involved was 13 years old.
“This 57-year-old defendant planned to have sex with a 13-year-old child," stated U.S. Attorney Hiland. “Fortunately, instead of an actual child, he was met by the full weight and force of law enforcement. This investigation shows that we will not tolerate those who would prey upon the most vulnerable among us-our children."
The statutory penalty for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity is not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment, not more than a $250,000 fine, and not less than five years of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Crews and Allison W. Bragg.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
