Child Abuser Sentenced to Twenty-Two Years

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Child Abuse Unit obtained a twenty-two-year sentence against a man who sexually assaulted his roommate’s daughter.  Cody William Bales, 28, was convicted of four counts of Rape and two counts of Statutory Rape.  In a sentencing hearing today, Judge Hector Sanchez ordered Bales to serve twenty-two years in prison without the possibility of parole.

In a two-day trial in November, Assistant District Attorneys Franklin Ammons and Willie Lane explained to the jury that in early 2018, Bales was living with the thirteen-year-old victim and her mother at an apartment complex in Knoxville.  During that time, Bales sexually assaulted the child.  Bales then fled, leaving his belongings behind.  The victim did not disclose the rape until years later when she told a friend what happened.  She was forensically interviewed at Childhelp Tennessee, and Det. Patty Tipton with the Knoxville Police Department launched an investigation, ultimately arresting Bales.  In the intervening years, Bales had committed and been convicted of a separate Statutory Rape involving a different minor victim.  Bales is serving a six-year sentence in that case.

“As prosecutors, we connect with victims so that no survivor has to walk alone,” said DA Allen.

In addition to his prison sentence, Bales will be placed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry and subject to Community Supervision for Life.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Lauren Ward and Legal Secretary Erin Morrison aided in the prosecution of this case.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.