Former North Texas officer gets 3 life sentences after claiming child porn was part of "secret investigation"

A former Johnson County police officer who claimed he was conducting a police investigation after being caught with child porn will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of child sex crimes, the district attorney's office announced Thursday.

Daniel Joseph Bates was convicted Wednesday of online solicitation of a minor and possession of child pornography.

How was the former officer caught?

According to the Johnson and Somervell County District Attorney's Office, Bates was arrested during an undercover sting operation for communicating with what he thought was a 15-year-old girl.

Officials said Bates planned to meet the teen to engage in sexual activities. However, the "teen" was a civilian predator catcher group that shared Bates' messages with local law enforcement and the Texas Rangers.

Bates, who was working for the Itasca Police Department and highway construction security, was subsequently arrested by the Texas Rangers.

A search warrant uncovers more crimes

After Bates' arrest, law enforcement served a search warrant at his home, where his electronic devices confirmed his attempts to meet up with a teen for sex as well as hundreds of images of child pornography and sexual abuse material involving minors, authorities said.

At his trial, Bates claimed that he was in possession of the nearly 300 photos and videos of children because he was conducting a "secret police investigation" to capture human traffickers, the attorney's office said.

However, Bates couldn't prove such police involvement existed.

"The images and videos that had to be processed and presented to the jury are indescribable in the level of depravity they depict and the degree of deviance of the defendant who voluntarily possessed and viewed those types of images," District Attorney Timothy M. Good said. "Daniel Bates disgraced his badge and violated his oath and became the monster that he was sworn to protect the community from."

A jury found him guilty on all charges.

Bates will serve three consecutive life sentences for the child pornography charges, and 40 years concurrently for the online solicitation of a minor charges.

"The badge was supposed to be a shield for children—not a shield for a predator. He made his choices. The jury made its verdict. And the judge made sure his next choice will be made from a prison cell for the rest of his life," said Assistant District Attorney Christy May.