Man from Bryan, Texas, sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual assault

BRYAN, Texas – A man who sexually abused a 29-year-old woman with Down syndrome has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office.

In March 2022, during a doctor’s appointment to examine genital pain, the victim revealed that she was suffering from a sexually transmitted disease. According to experts, the victim has the mental capacity of a third-grader.

When the victim’s aunt learned she had an STD, she asked how she could have contracted it. The victim said she and her stepfather, Henry Craig Tates, 30, had sex with her. Tests after the first appointment confirmed that Tates, the victim and her mother had the same STD.

The victim received additional help at Baylor Scott & White and Scotty’s House for a sexual assault evaluation and an interview with authorities about what she experienced. While being evaluated at Baylor Scott & White, the victim shared details of the assault and told staff she feared she would not be believed. The victim elaborated on the assault at Scotty’s House, describing “violent acts” in which Tates sexually assaulted and groped her.

Tates admitted to a Bryan police officer in a later interview that the victim could not consent to sex because she had Down syndrome and because “he was a father figure in her life.” He also admitted to sexually assaulting the victim during several other encounters and even confessed to “digital penetration.”

Tates’ 30-year prison sentence for two counts of sexual abuse of a disabled person includes a lifetime protective order for the victim, according to prosecutors.

“Taking advantage of this young woman is disgraceful,” Assistant District Attorneys Kristin Burns and Ryan Golden said in a press release. “It is our honor to protect her and others from his predatory nature.”