Sept. 29, 2017
ULYSSES MAN WAS ALREADY JAILED LAST WEEK ON SIMILAR CHARGES BY STATE POLICE FROM POST #9 PIKEVILLE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 – WRITTEN BY WADE QUEEN
A Ulysses man who was arrested at his home last week by the Kentucky State Police from the Pikeville #9 Post is now finding himself in much worse predicament after a Lawrence County Grand Jury earlier this week handed down a 22 count indictment against him for criminal deviant sexual contact with a juvenile.
Steven Prater, 48, of Salyersville, was taken into custody on Saturday evening September 23 by KSP trooper Jeffrey Johnson on 5 sexual abuse charges, which consisted of • RAPE 2ND DEGREE-NO FORCE, • RAPE, 3RD DEGREE, • SODOMY 2ND DEGREE, • SODOMY, 3RD DEGREE, • SEXUAL ABUSE, 1ST DEGREE.
Just a few days later after Prater’s arrest, sometime during the beginning of the third week, the current grand jury in Lawrence County unloaded a heap of major felony sex criminal charges, totaling 22 offenses in all.
The indictments handed down by the grand jury against Prater has him facing the following charges: 1 count of rape in the 2nd degree with the victim being under the age of 14, 5 counts of rape in the 3rd degree with the victim less than 18 years old, 1 count of sodomy in the 2nd degree with the victim under the age of 14, 5 counts of sodomy in the 3rd degree with the victim less than 18 years old and 10 counts of sexual abuse in the 1st degree with the victim less than 18 years old.
It is unclear if Prater’s initial arrest on sex crime charges last week is connected to this week’s Lawrence County indictments, or if they are sexual abuse charges related to an entirely separate case.
The alleged contact with Prater with his supposed victim began on or before January 1st, 2009 and continued through October 14th, 2014 in Lawrence County
Some of the charges state that Prater was a person in a position of authority or special trust allowing him to come into contact with the minor. 20 of the 22 sex abuse charges against Prater involving the victim being under 18 indicates that even though the victim was at least 16 years old, which is the legal age of consent in Kentucky, it is an illegal criminal offense to have any sexual contact with a 16 or 17 year old juvenile by an adult if that adult is the juvenile’s guardian or is a foster parent.
If convicted off all 22 charges, Steven Prater could face up to a maximum of 120 years in prison.
Steven Prater remains lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville as of Friday morning September 29, and he is being held on no bond allowed.
See the rest of a long list of Lawrence Co. grand jury indictments coming later today!
